When a Dead Man Walks
by oddbird
Summary: Sasuke is about to start a new life in a new town, when something he hadn't quite expected decides to move in with him, and that's when things get a little complicated. AU, NaruSasuNaru.
1. Phasmophobia

**Title:** When a Dead Man Walks  
**Pairing:** NaruSasuNaru + tiny bit of KibaSasu  
**Rating: **M for mature content (in the later chapters)  
**Warnings: **Boy-on-boy lovin', don't like don't read.  
**Disclaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, I'm just borrowing them a little.

**Summary:** Sasuke is about to start a new life in a new town, when something he hadn't quite expected decides to move in with him, and that's when things get a little complicated.

**A/N:** So this was supposed to be a oneshot, I never meant it to become this long. But things happened and it's now over 30 pages long and still ongoing in my head, so I figured I could post it as a multi-chapter. It's my first multi-chap ever *_* I'm kinda excited. I hope someone will enjoy this as well, because I've enjoyed writing it. I've been doing it on very short parts for my muse, so I apologize if it seems a little... odd. Also, I'm not a native English speaker so I also apologize for possible grammar mistakes.

Written for Didi.

* * *

The apartment door closed with a soft thud and Sasuke kicked off his shoes, dropping his dark messenger bag to the floor next to the shoe rack. He lifted a hand to rub the bridge of his nose, a tired sigh escaping the pale lips as he headed to the kitchen, feeling a lot more exhausted than he reasonably should have. The bright afternoon sun was shining through the windows, casting an irregular pattern on the kitchen floor as it filtered through the curtains and colored the whole kitchen with different shades of red and yellow. Sneering to himself, the raven glared at the window like it was the window's fault that his day had been so rough, and then headed to the fridge to grab a cider.

He wasn't much of a drinker and it wasn't even weekend, but right now he felt that he needed a drink, and having nothing but a couple of cider cans in his fridge, he had to settle down to that. The pale lips wrapped around the small hole in the can and eagerly let the liquid pour down his throat, the coldness of the drink effectively easing his headache for a moment. When the can was half empty, Sasuke wiped his lips with the back of his hand, staring at the opposite wall for a moment.

It was halfway through the autumn already, and it was quickly getting colder. It had been his first day in the local university where he'd transferred after a few unpleasant incidents in his previous school, and the future didn't seem too bright. Despite the great reputation the university held, the classes Sasuke had had today hadn't met his standards. The professors were all somehow out of their minds, each of them having at least one, but often more, quirky habits and the students... Sasuke didn't even want to think about the other students. A few of them had seemed somewhat bright and ready to work for success, but as always, there had been a dozen of girls trying to talk to him after the first class, either hitting on him or trying to figure out if he was taken already since he didn't respond to any of their advances.

And it hadn't been just that. During the lunch break, the time Sasuke usually spent alone, rarely eating but using the time for studying, one particularly annoying brunette male had glued himself to the raven's side, offering to give him a tour in the university or the city or his bedroom. The last place mentioned had brought him a very pissed off glare from Sasuke, but the other boy hadn't backed away or seemed to be even the slightest bit uncomfortable about being turned down so fast. He'd acted even worse than the girls, sticking around after their classes were over and trying to persuade Sasuke to let him show the raven around. He hadn't given up before Sasuke had sat in his sleek black car and locked the doors in front of the brunette's nose, and even then the guy had just grinned at him and shouted that he'd still have lots of time to win the raven over.

Sasuke had driven away as fast as he could without breaking the law, carefully keeping an eye on the traffic. Suigetsu, a sort-of friend from his previous school had been in a car crash a while ago, and even if it hadn't been a serious one, it had made him more careful when driving, if only to avoid looking as stupid as Suigetsu had while explaining that he'd got the bruises in his face from a car crash that had been entirely his fault.

Not wanting to think about his previous school, Sasuke shook his head and parked the car near the house he lived in, just to meet his landlord at the front doors. The man was old or at least the raven had gotten that image, he was freakishly pale and had long black hair that made him look a bit like a model from a hair product commercial. Sasuke had met him only two times before, and he'd hoped he would never have to see the man again; there was something unnerving in the way the man eyed him whenever they saw each other. The conversation at the doors had been brief and the raven had excused himself as soon as he could without being impolite, the gaze of the eerie light eyes following him to the elevator.

And that was when he had finally arrived at his new apartment, feeling just completely drained.

Letting out a soft groan, Sasuke sat down on the couch, leaning heavily against the cushions. He could probably take a little nap before getting started with the homework he'd been given, but somehow napping while knowing that the landlord was just a few floors below him and had the masterkey to the house made sleeping feel somewhat insecure.

Talking about the landlord, now that he had closed his eyes Sasuke felt like someone was watching him. At first he tried to ignore the feeling, blaming it on his stressed out mind, but no matter how hard he tried the feeling just kept getting stronger. He knew he was being stupid, there was no-one with him here, not even Orochimaru, there was no way the man could've followed him inside without him knowing, and he definitely would've heard if someone had opened the door. And still, he could feel another presence in the room. The raven kept his eyes closed and tried to listen if he could hear someone else breathing or moving in the room. Minutes passed and there was nothing to hear, not until someone suddenly chuckled quite close to Sasuke's ear and his eyes snapped open.

The surprised black eyes met a pair of blue ones staring right back a couple of feet away.

The thing that made Sasuke doubt his sanity was that there was nothing but the eyes.

For a moment he couldn't move, the eerie sight having frozen him entirely to his place, and the bright blue eyes that were floating in the air didn't move either save a few blinks. Then, the silence was suddenly broken as the eyes lit up and squinted in a way that hinted that their owner would've been grinning widely if he'd just had a mouth. Somehow Sasuke was glad that he didn't, because a floating mouth would've made it too much like Alice in Wonderland, and he had never liked the book.

"It's working, isn't it?"

Sasuke startled, turning his head to scan the room to find the source of the voice. It had come from the direction of the eyes but there was no-one who could've said those words, and Sasuke didn't quite believe in talking eyes. Not that he believed in eyes floating alone in the air either, but right now he didn't really have a choice but to adjust his beliefs a little. He had already checked the ceiling to see if the eyes were just toys hanging in a wire, but as far as his eyesight was concerned, there was nothing keeping the eyes in their place; they really seemed to be floating on their own.

When his gaze returned to the eyes, Sasuke noticed that the look on them was changed, now being both amused and slightly annoyed.

"It's working, right?", repeated the voice that came from nowhere, the eyes moving down and then up again.

Sasuke cleared his throat, still staring at the eyes, and tried to tell himself that yes, he was actually dreaming and the weird floating eyes didn't exist for real at all.  
"What is?" His voice came out a bit strained and he immediately cursed himself for letting it show how nervous the situation was making him. But then again, it was just normal to be nervous when a pair of eyes suddenly started to talk to you in your own apartment, right?

The eyes didn't seem to mind his feelings, they just squinted a bit more and seemingly became more annoyed.  
"This! Can't you see? Is it working or not?" The voice was now clearly frustrated and almost offended, the eyes moving a bit in the air.

Sasuke frowned, shifting a little on the couch, the anger starting to build up in him as well. He had no idea what that thing was talking about or what he was supposed to see, but he sure as hell knew that those damn eyes had no right to be here, interrupting his day like this and messing up his daily routines, and he refused to answer any questions from a pair of talking eyes, for God's sake.  
"I have no idea what you're talking about, idiot, but there's nothing to see but a pair of eyes! Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my apartment?"

The reaction his outburst provoked in the not-quite-person in front of him wasn't what Sasuke had expected. A delighted laugh filled the air and the eyes started to shine, stealing the raven's breath for a moment. He couldn't remember ever having seen eyes that bright, not that vivid shade of blue, eyes that seemed to almost suck him in, and the laugh that was still ringing in his ears had sounded so genuinely happy that he had felt tempted to laugh himself as well. The eyes were still staring at him, bright with laughter and joy, and although they didn't feel intimidating at all anymore, the look was just so intense that it made the raven a little uncomfortable.

"...oi!" A sudden realization seemed to struck the owner of the eyes and it looked like he was frowning, even if Sasuke still couldn't see anything but the eyes.  
"Did you just call me an idiot?" The hurt was evident in the bright eyes, and despite himself Sasuke found himself wishing that he could go and comfort the owner of them, even if there was no way that idiot could be that hurt about such a simple insult. He also felt a bit stupid for being laughed at like that, but it was something he could deal with later. Now he had other matters in hand.

And just when Sasuke was about to open his mouth and say something, the air around the eyes started to ripple like water, a mass of almost transparent shadows circling around the eyes.

Instead of the eyes hovering over the armchair near the couch, there was suddenly a head then a complete human sitting in that chair, looking strangely fitting to his surroundings. But it wasn't just any human. The man was quite young, probably around Sasuke's age, and he was sitting rather comfortably in the chair, one leg hanging over the armrest. His hair was a blond mess, and the raven couldn't help wondering if it was a natural color. The guy had tanned, smooth-looking skin save his cheeks that had three identical scars in both cheeks. The scars looked oddly fresh, but Sasuke didn't have time to dig into the matter any further as his gaze slid down to the body that seemed to be extremely fit, even if it was now covered with loose, comfortable clothing. After giving the body a quick overall look, the raven returned his gaze to the other's face, immediately being trapped by the same dazzling blue eyes.

Even now when the guy was having the most adorable pout on his face, his lower lip jutting out and almost trembling, the eyes were still laughing at Sasuke, like challenging him, asking him how long he could possibly stay angry at the stranger. The answer was obvious, but Sasuke wasn't ready to admit it quite yet. However, he was slowly starting to believe that his dream was turning into a wet one, at least according to the stranger's looks. He couldn't recall ever meeting anyone like that, he would've remembered that face and those eyes, but if his dream was going to take that direction he definitely wouldn't complain. Maybe his imagination was just playing with him.

The person sitting in the chair grinned widely at the raven, rubbing the back of his neck in an almost embarrassed manner.  
"I guess I should apologize, huh? You see, I was just testing if I could make myself only partially visible, like the Cheshire Cat in that Wonderland thing, and I've been told that I have nice eyes and I figured I should leave a good first impression, so..."

Still somewhat dazed by the grin he'd gotten, Sasuke sat still, listening to the young man explain how he'd gotten into Sasuke's apartment. Apparently, the blonde was a ghost of some kind, and he had been bored and wanted to talk to someone. The ghost wasn't sure why he'd chosen the house Sasuke lived in, it had just felt comfortable to him, but after checking through all the apartments of the house, he had come to the conclusion that Sasuke would be the one to tolerate the ghost's visit the best.

Listening to the blonde babbling, Sasuke slowly shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to force himself awake. Seriously, this couldn't be true, there was no way it was. Ghosts did not exist in their world, or any other worlds if there were any, and even if they did, they didn't just walk into strangers' apartments to kill some time during a very bright autumn day. This had to be a dream or a hallucination; maybe he hadn't drank enough during the day? He'd been told that not drinking enough could make you hallucinate... Or maybe it was having too much to drink? Sasuke's thoughts immediately returned to the cider can and he frowned, his eyes still closed. Had it been the alcohol? But it had only been one can, it wasn't possible to get drunk enough to start having hallucinations from one damn cider, even for him...

"No, I'm very much real and you're not dreaming!"

The bright, confident voice came much closer than the last time and the dark eyes flashed open again, finding the ghost's -or hallucination's, as Sasuke told himself- eyes only a few inches away from his. Sasuke could swear that there had been a tiny cold breeze brushing against his cheek as the ghost had spoken and from this distance it was easy to tell that the unreal being apparently radiated cold in the same way living human radiated warmth. Feeling almost hypnotized, the raven kept watching the blue eyes, being slightly startled as he realized that if he looked closely enough, he could see the living room window through the young man's head.

The ghost chuckled again, this time low from his throat, and batted his eyes slowly, leaning still a little closer.  
"Like what you see?" he asked with a voice that had changed from playful and chirpy to husky and somehow very alluring.

Sasuke found himself musing that this kind of voice didn't really suit any kind of a ghost and almost pointed it out, but then the words sunk in and he practically jumped backwards, his head being just half an inch away from hitting the wall behind the couch.  
"What?" he choked out, staring at the shameless ghost with bewildered eyes.

The ghost didn't seem to mind but leaned closer, his nose brushing against Sasuke – or to be honest, through Sasuke's nose, much to the raven's horror.  
"I asked if you liked what you saw, bastard. You were watching me quite intensely just now..." The almost alive-looking face moved even closer and tilted to a side a little to prevent their noses taking further contact.

Sasuke found himself completely frozen as something cold-ish and not quite solid pressed against his lips. He couldn't really feel the ghost's lips, not like human's, it was more like... a thought of lips. Like cold air that had been packed into a particular form that just happened to resemble lips on his own; he could even feel something with a shape of a tongue darting out to lick his lips, like asking for entrance, and that was when he realized what exactly was happening.

Sasuke leaped to his feet and a sudden feeling of cold water being poured on him hit him as he went straight through the ghost that had been practically bent over him. He took a couple of weak steps backwards, wiping his lips but finding it futile, which aggravated him even more.  
"Wh-what the hell was that?" He hated the way his voice sounded so weak and almost cracked at the end of the question, but there was nothing he could do to it right now. He had all the reasons to be shocked, and if that damn ghost dared to even try laughing at him again, Sasuke swore he'd find a way to rip its non-existent body into tiny shreds.

Perhaps sensing the danger, the ghost male kept quiet as he stepped forward towards the raven, but the grin on his face spoke more than any words could. It was both cocky and a little apologizing, a grin of someone who knew that he had done something wrong but was proud of it anyway, and it only widened as Sasuke lifted a hand in front of him, non-verbally telling the ghost to stay away.  
"That doesn't help much, you know, I can always do this..."

Sasuke watched in a weird fascination as the ghost walked forward and his pointed hand slowly sink into the cold body. It felt just like he'd dipped his hand into a pool or a lake; the feeling of lukewarm water all around his hand was almost too concrete. Soon enough his finger was again hugged by the warm air and he knew that his hand had went through the ghost's body. Sasuke had the feeling that he should've been panicking or at least somewhat grossed out, seeing such a thing, but it was difficult since the ghost was slowly becoming more transparent, so much that he could easily see the shape of his hand behind the man's back.

The blonde didn't stop moving until he was standing right in front of Sasuke, their chests pressed together or into each other, the raven wasn't quite sure which. The sound of the ghost chuckling again was enough to make the hair on his neck stand up and a cold shiver ran down his back, making him feel like a little kid, just as easily scared,

"I have to admit, there was an additional reason why I chose you..."

The way the blue eyes shone was truly eerie, considering that Sasuke could barely see the rest of the ghost male's body.

"But I suppose you've already guessed it by now. Right, Sasuke?" The eyes widened just a little before squinting half-shut, their gaze having pinned Sasuke right to the spot.

The raven opened his mouth to answer, his brows knitting together in angry fashion, but the words stuck in his throat as he felt a cold hand press against his chest and then move up to his neck, something that felt like a thumb brushing against his pulse point. Inwardly he was struggling to move, but something, he couldn't tell what, was keeping him still and forcing him to just accept the touch of the ghost.

The touch that suddenly wasn't there anymore.

Sasuke blinked confusedly as he realized that the ghost had backed away and was now leaning against the kitchen door frame, watching him with an apologizing grin on his face.

"Sorry about that, I got a little... carried away. I didn't mean to scare you, although you took it quite well, being straight and all..."

The raven blinked again, his brain trying to catch up with everything that was happening.  
"...straight?" he asked, his voice sounding somehow strange to his own ears.

A confused wrinkle appeared between the ghost male's brows as he frowned, watching Sasuke with eyes that were suddenly almost worried.  
"Yeah, straight. Like, not gay... I mean, I know you have a girlfriend, I noticed those letters from that girl, whatever her name was, it started with a 'K' I think..." The blonde rubbed his neck embarrassedly, having just admitted that he'd gone through Sasuke's mail at some point.

The frown on Sasuke's face deepened and he shook his head, trying to clear his head. He knew full well which letters Naruto was talking about, there was a pile of sweet loving letters that smelled like perfume rotting on the corner of his work desk, but they definitely weren't from a girlfriend. Karin had been... Well, fine, they had been going out for a week or something, but after accidentally stumbling on the collection of information the girl had had of him... That had been just too creepy. The raven had never given her his address or even the name of the city he was going to, but somehow she had found it out with her amazing stalking skills.

And now the ghost was mistaking it to something a lot deeper.

Oh, well, he wasn't going to complain. The blonde seemed unstable enough already, and if it would keep him from harassing the raven from now on, he'd be willing to keep quiet. Slowly Sasuke pushed a smirk to his face and soothed out some wrinkles from his shirt before arching a brow at the ghost, his confidence starting to finally return.  
"Exactly. Now, what was your reason?"

"Oh..." For a moment, Naruto looked almost disappointment, something similar to a pout again crossing his face, but then his usual grin quickly replaced it.  
"You were the only person in the whole house that had instant ramen." The blonde seemed suddenly really annoyed, his brows knitting together and arms coming up, flailing relentlessly in the air as he kept talking about the wonders of ramen, ignoring the stunned, dumbfounded look Sasuke was giving him.

Sasuke had stopped listening when the man mentioned ramen for the third time, his mouth having fallen partially open from shock. There was a crazy ghost in his apartment, a ghost that had tried to molest him but had ended up lecturing him about the wonders of ramen. Ramen? Of all things on the earth, that ghost had an obsession for ramen? Something was definitely wrong in his life at the moment. Ramen didn't even taste good, and it was full of additives and such. The only reason why Sasuke even had it was that he'd figured he'd need something quick to eat while moving in, and then it had just been forgotten in the cupboard.

"...oh, and could you possibly now boil some water and make the ramen? I'm not sure if I can eat, being a ghost and all, but I could at least smell it?"

And from that day on, Naruto was there.

During the next weeks, there was hardly a lone a moment in Sasuke's life. Naruto had seemingly taken liking in his apartment, staying there for the most of the day. He didn't go out much, saying that it felt weird not to have a shadow and that dogs often seemed to sense him when he was around, even when he was invisible. Some people did too, and Naruto didn't like making people uncomfortable so he stayed inside. That apparently didn't apply in Sasuke's case, because more often than not the blonde kept flirting with the raven and tried to purposely make him feel awkward.

The worst had been the one time when he had had a girl called Sakura over to work with a school project together, and Sasuke had found out the hard way that Naruto could make himself visible only to the raven if he so wished. At first, the ghost had walked through the girl a few times, making her doubt the heating system in Sasuke's apartment, and after that it had been a perfect one man's show. Naruto had kept making faces at her and repeating everything she said while sitting in her lap all the time, imitating her the best he could.

Sasuke had had hard time trying to keep from laughing, and finally Sakura had seemed to understand that something was wrong. The thing that had finally scared her away, however, had been the sudden gust of wind that had risen the hem of her skirt high enough to reveal her cute, pink, and lacy panties.

She had left soon after that, leaving Sasuke alone with the uncontrollably grinning Naruto. The blonde had insisted that Sasuke should make him a cup of ramen to sniff as a reward to successfully driving away the man-eater. However, he had never bothered to explain why he had put so much effort into getting rid of the girl.

Staying loyal to his style, Sasuke hadn't made much friends, despite the people still swarming around him at school. However, with the brunette from the first day, Kiba was his name, he had slowly started to get comfortable. Sure, the guy still pissed him off most of the time and Sasuke wouldn't have really called them friends, but he was fine with Kiba around, and the brunette was the one he went to when he felt like he wanted company.

And as expected, Kiba still hadn't given up on trying to get to take Sasuke to the bedroom. There was usually a certain air of flirt around him when he spoke to the raven, and Sasuke was sure he'd never met anyone with so much sexual innuendos infiltrated into their talk. But he didn't mind terribly, Kiba wasn't bad to look at and he never went to the extremes nor tried to touch Sasuke when it was clear that the raven rather kept his personal space to himself. The dog boy just made it clear that if Sasuke ever needed to get laid, he'd be more than willing to offer his helping hand.

Sasuke had also found out that it was impossible for Naruto to eat, as well as to sleep for real. The ghost had said he could drift into a state that somewhat resembled unconsciousness but it wasn't necessary in any way and made him actually just irritated. After trying this 'sleeping' for a couple of nights Naruto had informed his new roommate that he'd rather stay awake watching TV or something; Sasuke's TV had quite a variety of channels thanks to the cable, and after a couple of weeks Naruto swore he'd seen every James Bond movie at least twice since the action movie channel aired at least two every night. Sasuke held himself back that pointing out that Naruto's calculations didn't quite work out here.

All in all, despite the few problems they had had in the beginning when Sasuke had refused to accept Naruto as his new roommate, their life together was somewhat easy. Naruto wasn't too demanding, counting out the fact that he wanted to sniff ramen at least once a day and even talked Sasuke to take him to a ramen restaurant one day so that he could slip into the kitchen to spy the chefs.

And all the time, Naruto had been extremely bright and cheerful, enough to make Sasuke almost believe that dying had taken all the negative emotions from him. The blonde never complained, never did anything that would've shown that he wasn't happy with the afterlife he had, and he had even managed to start affecting Sasuke with his always positive attitude.

That was why the raven was so shocked to find the ghost sitting at the kitchen table and glaring at the fridge with the saddest look in his eyes when he came back from school one day.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" He dropped his bag to the floor and hung his coat neatly; it had started to turn into winter and there was some snow on the ground already, making the air chilly, and there were a few snowflakes stuck to his coat. Quietly the raven made his way to the kitchen and took a seat next to Naruto, worry pinching him. It wasn't normal for the ghost to sulk like that.

"Hmn?" The usually so bright eyes were now a dull shade of blue as he turned to look at Sasuke, resting his chin in his palm, elbows placed on the table.  
"What did you say?"

The frown on Sasuke's face got deeper and he gave Naruto a worried look, his hand already lifted to press against Naruto's forehead.  
"What's wrong? Are you sick?" The thought was stupid and he knew it, but he couldn't figure out what else could make Naruto like that. For the first time the blonde looked like what he truly was; a ghost.

Slowly the blond-haired head shook and he tried to swat at Sasuke's hand, not even caring as his hand went straight through the raven's.  
"No, it's just..." He seemed to hesitate for a moment, his gaze dropping to his knees and silence took place again. Naruto fidgeted quietly, rubbing the fabric of his pants between his fingers, obviously trying to find the best words to say whatever he had in mind. After a while, when Sasuke was starting to get impatient, the ghost let out a deep sigh and bit his lip.  
"I was just thinking... How did I die, Sasuke?"

Sasuke found himself speechless under the sudden stare of the pained blue eyes. There was so much intensity in the eyes that it easily held Sasuke captivated in his place and he felt an unexpected pinch in his chest, Naruto's confusion coming through. Slowly the raven shook his head to clear it, still keeping his eyes on Naruto's, his mind processing the question.

The truth was... He had no idea.

They had never really talked about Naruto's death. Sasuke had always thought that whatever it had been, it had been somewhat unpleasant and Naruto just didn't want his pity. He had even though it was good. Although Naruto made him curious, it wasn't enough to make him want to pry. The way the blonde had died was none of Sasuke's concern, not if Naruto wanted to keep it to himself. It had just never occurred to him that maybe Naruto didn't know either.

Slowly the raven moved his hand to rest it on the top of Naruto's, although it practically meant him holding his hand in the air just above the ghost of Naruto's hand, and then he frowned again, the corners of his lips turning slightly down as the blue eyes slowly became agonized.

"Naruto..." He wasn't allowed to say anything more.

A transparent hand waved in the air again, dismissing whatever else Sasuke had been about to say and the ghost male shrugged, glancing at the human hand resting on the top of his own.

"I know, right? It doesn't really matter, it's not a big deal or anything. I just... I can't remember anything. Why did I die so young? Was I doing something illegal? Was it an accident? Or an illness, like cancer? Did I end up in a fight and got beaten up too bad, or did I commit a suicide?" Naruto's voice grew louder, almost panicking, and then slowly faded and he shrugged again, trying to dismiss the thought. It clearly showed that he didn't like to be in such a foul mood, and it was slowly starting to affect Sasuke as well.

The raven didn't say anything in a while and Naruto didn't seem too eager to break the silence either now that it had fallen again, so neither of them tried to push it too hard.

Finally, catching a faint sound of Sasuke's stomach rumbling, Naruto flashed the raven a quick smirk, enjoying the way the pale cheeks slightly reddened from embarrassment.

"Sorry", he murmured softly, sliding to the edge of his seat.  
"I didn't mean to throw my problems at you like that. I just got a little carried away."

Sasuke couldn't help recalling the last time Naruto had said that to him, it having been the day they had first met, the situation a very different one. He however dismissed the thought and just smirked at his ghostly companion, shaking his head.

"Don't worry. I'd probably really hate you if you were so damn bright all the time." There was gentle teasing in his voice, and it provoked the expected reaction out of Naruto.

The blonde flashed him a grin and leaned closer, the sadness still remaining in his eyes although he tried to obviously hide it. The spark in his eyes, however, warned the raven that Naruto was on his way to embarrass him again.

"Oh, so you like me, after all? Does that mean I might actually stand a chance with you?" The ghost waggled his eyebrows suggestively, running a tongue over his bottom lip.

Sasuke didn't react, not even when the cold hand pressed on his cheek and the other's face suddenly got a lot closer to his, the chilly breath ghosting on his cheek.

"As if, dobe."

Naruto's pout passed within a second and he chuckled, the whole dying incident all forgotten.

"Damn, I got turned down again? You're such an ice prince, really, do you even notice when I'm trying to flirt with you?"

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes, acting like he didn't notice how close to each other they were.

"It's not that I don't notice, dumbass, I just tune you out." He leaned backwards a little, surprised to see Naruto following along, the cold hand pressing to his cheek a bit too hard, going through the skin and bringing stabbing pain to the raven's teeth.

Naruto chuckled, wiggling his fingers inside Sasuke's cheek, not aware of the pain it was inflicting.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that. I'm just trying to be nice", he murmured, leaning still a little closer, his gaze dropping to Sasuke's lips just for a moment. The blue eyes were sparkling again, laughing at the other man challengingly, and Sasuke again found it impossible to look away.

The dark eyes slowly blinked, the dark lashes fluttering above the pale cheeks, and Sasuke drew in a breath, finding the air a little chilly. He could smell Naruto in the air, and it wasn't the smell of a normal human. Naruto didn't smell alive. It was a little bit similar to the faint smell of water, but there was something else to it as well. Inhaling again, Sasuke opened his eyes, trying to analyze the odd scent. He thought he could smell some spices, reminding him of the ramen Naruto was constantly sniffing, and unless he was imagining, there was a subtle scent of living man's musky, rich smell. All the scents were mixed and none were really strong, and Sasuke doubted he would've ever noticed them had he not gotten so close to the ghost. He had almost expected some kind of scent of death or maybe even rotten flesh, but there was nothing like that.

The third inhale, and Sasuke found himself moving closer, to get more of the scent. There was still something he couldn't quite place, and he was trying to identify it.

"Sasuke...?"

The raven glanced up into the slightly confused, darkened blue eyes. Suddenly he found his cheeks heating up, the realization striking him of how close to each other they actually were. There was barely an inch between their lips, Naruto's breath ghosting on his skin, and the raven slipped his tongue out, moistening his dry lips.

"Sasuke?" Naruto repeated his question, sounding even more confused. The pain from before was back, swirling in the blue eyes, and now there was also confusion mixed.

Sasuke blinked, stricken by a sudden urge to comfort the ghost male. The agony he was seeing made his heart clench and he swallowed a lump in his throat, moving his hand to rest where Naruto's neck was. His thumb rubbed the non-existent skin, feeling it moving a little under his fingers. The blue eyes were hidden by the almost transparent lids, a sigh escaping Naruto's lips.

Sasuke's eyes immediately turned to the ghostly lips, finding it interesting how they could look so moist and soft, even when they didn't have a solid form. As he watched, the said lips parted and then pressed together again, as if Naruto had been about to say something but then changed his mind. His eyes still on the lips, the raven slid his hand up to Naruto's hair, for once not finding it weird that his hand slid right through the ghost. It almost felt like there was real hair slipping through his fingers as he combed it with them gently, pressing his hand against the back of Naruto's head, inviting him to move forward.

And Naruto did, tilting his head a little, keeping his eyes closed to hide the growing confusion.

Sasuke didn't need more encouragement. Carefully, like handling a baby bird, he brushed his lips against Naruto's, trying not to make them go through. Slowly he parted his lips, running his tongue over Naruto's lower lip, feeling like he was licking a melting ice cube. He could feel the ghost shiver, the movement being like ripples on water, and the cold lips against his own moved a little, parting and drawing in a breath. For a brief second, Sasuke felt like Naruto had sucked the air out of him, the chilly air tickling his senses.

Hesitantly Sasuke pushed his tongue forward, shivers running down his back as it went through Naruto's lips and slipped into his mouth. The eerie feeling was, however, soon gone when the ghost opened his mouth just enough for Sasuke's tongue, a chilly hand pressing against Sasuke's chest.

The air inside Naruto's mouth was so much colder than it was around him, and it tasted different. It was the same as with the smell, a hint of spices being there, and idly Sasuke wondered if the blonde had tasted like ramen when he had been alive. Maybe so, and he effectively blocked the fact that he'd never find out. Leaning in to the kiss, the raven felt a frown crossing his face. Another series of shivers ran up and down his back, making him tremble from cold, but still he reached even further, sucking Naruto's tongue into his mouth and ignoring the way his lips started to feel numb.

"Sasuke?"

The raven startled, his head snapping back and eyes searching Naruto's face. The ghost had spoken in the middle of the kiss, the cold lips going straight through his skin and teeth, reminding him how very dead Naruto actually was.

"You're starting to freeze."

With a frown on his face, Sasuke brought his fingertips to his lips, surprised to find them feeling so cold. Almost like ice, just like Naruto's skin. He drew in the breath, the warm air almost burning his sensitive tongue that had been used to the coldness around Naruto. Moving his lips a little, the raven started to slowly realize that had they continued long enough, his lips might've gotten frostbitten.

Awkwardly he cleared his throat, avoiding Naruto's eyes.

"Well... At least you're in a better mood, right?" he mumbled as he quickly pushed himself up and headed to the electric kettle. He had the feeling that it might be a good time for some comfort food.

And while sniffing his ramen, Naruto didn't notice how Sasuke quietly slipped into the bathroom and locked the door.

The onyx eyes stared at the mirror, finding their own reflection somehow comforting. Only now it was starting to kick in what he had done, and Sasuke's hands that were clutching the edges of the sink started to shake lightly, his eyes narrowing just enough to give him slightly more worried look.

It shouldn't have shocked him that much. He had kissed guys before, maybe not that spontaneously but had anyway, and there was no fucking way he was straight, and Naruto was... Speaking the truth, Naruto had to be the hottest man he had ever kissed – or perhaps the coolest would be the proper word. That was just... The problem lay in the fact that Naruto was not _alive_.

He had just kissed a ghost, and much to his surprise, enjoyed it. Sasuke shook his head slowly and carefully brought his hand up, pressing his fingertips against his lower lip. His lips still felt a little cold, like he'd been pressing an ice cube against them a while ago, and that alone was startling enough.

Sasuke didn't like living with someone. He had been just happy alone, and after Naruto had decided to move in, everything had been... wrong. It was always noisy and Naruto managed to mess up his apartment even if he wasn't able to move things around. He never got any privacy and it felt like someone was watching him even when he went to school.

Naruto himself was a problem! The blonde was loud and obnoxious, a true idiot that managed to trip on his own feet even when he didn't even have solid feet. Yes, he had tried to flirt with Sasuke numerous times and Sasuke had always turned him down with just as many excuses.

There was no way he was finding a ghost this attractive.

But he had kissed Naruto, and that was the truth. There was something in the blond that just drew him in and made him want more whenever Naruto passed through him or laughed or even smiled at him. He felt oddly restless without Naruto around and he couldn't stop looking over his shoulder when he was alone. It was getting way too serious for Sasuke.

Sighing, the raven splashed some water on his face and quickly dried it off with a towel, heading out of the bathroom. He'd need to sort out his feeling as soon as possible to prevent any more damage happening to them. The ghost hadn't seemed to mind the kiss at all and it almost looked like Naruto had forgotten about it already, his nose still buried into the ramen cup. From what Sasuke could make of his face, the ghost seemed to have a delighted smile on his face as he kept sniffing the food.

Although as soon as he spotted Sasuke, Naruto pulled back and grinned widely, affectionately stroking the side of the cup as he spoke.

"What a fine baby you had in your cupboard, just the perfect amount of spices... You need to go buy more soon."

Sasuke just nodded before turning on his heels and heading to get his school bag. For once he had quite a lot of homework, and he should get them started if he wanted to finish everything.

After that, everything changed, but only for Sasuke. Naruto had seemingly recovered from the kiss perfectly, not paying much attention to it at all. The blonde never mentioned it again and the subject was dropped, but Sasuke found out he couldn't stop thinking about it.

It hadn't been a kiss laced with passion and lust, not something that would make him go weak on the knees or serve as a jerk off material during his showers, but it was impossible to forget. He might've been able to let it go had Naruto not been living here, but right now it was impossible. And every time he looked at Naruto, the memory came back, every time just a little stronger. It had to be given him that Sasuke tried to fight it, tried to stop himself, but eventually it became hard to deny. He was falling for the ghost, and hard, all the while Naruto seemed just as oblivious as ever.

* * *

**TBC**

**A/N:** Reviews would be greatly loved, even if you just want to tell me that you don't like it. I want to hear your thoughts.


	2. Anthropophobia

For Didi

His skin felt way too warm, the heat slowly eating him as a pair of lips made their way up to his chest, biting down to his collarbone. The warmth then slowly spread to his neck, making his back arch off the bed and his lips parted, an almost inaudible groan escaping them. A soft tongue slowly lapped his neck, searching for the most sensitive spot before sucking down on it, making the raven shudder from the pleasure that spread through his body.

Sasuke kept his eyes shut when the moist lips left his neck, the person above him making the sheets rustle as he shifted, moving higher. The raven licked his lips, trying to say something, anything, to make the man continue, but only yet another groan was heard when his mouth was suddenly ravished by a slick tongue, the muscle mapping every inch of it and pushing against his own, throwing Sasuke a challenge.

And Sasuke had never turned his back to a challenge. Swirling his tongue around the one invading his mouth before ruthlessly pushing it back he forced the intruder to retreat for now and took the command of the kiss, claiming the hot mouth determinedly while bringing his hands to the soft hair, forcing the other to stay where he was. A snarl told him that the man wasn't too happy with the change and in no time the raven felt fingers tweaking his nipple, the sensation breaking his concentration and giving the other the opportunity to regain the control.

Feeling something press against his groin, Sasuke moaned quietly, thrusting up to get more of the sweet friction that was making his mind a little clouded. He ignored the low chuckle that emitted from the mouth near his own and sighed in satisfaction as the strong hips started to grind against his, his pants becoming almost painfully tight, and he rocked back, desperate for more. His hands were still buried into the mop of hair, clinging to the little control he still had over the situation, even when the head was moving lower, back to his neck.

"Nnh... Naruto..." The quiet moan escaped his lips before he could stop it, and he almost clamped a hand over his mouth in stock, his eyes now wide open. The man on the top of him froze, and the hold Sasuke had had of his hair loosened as the other lifted his head a little, giving the raven a questioning look.

"What... was that?" Kiba looked honestly confused, his light eyes peering at the raven. The brunette was clearly flushed from excitement, his lips parted and breath coming in light pants. However, there was something else in Kiba's eyes, something that Sasuke couldn't quite place.

"Nothing, it was nothing, just..." For once the raven didn't know what to say. He wasn't exactly sure why he'd said that either, and there was no way he'd admit he had been just moaning a name of a ghost. A ghost that wasn't even here, to be precise.

Kiba shook his head, apparently trying to look serious if the frown on his face was any evidence.

"No, I'm serious, Sasuke! What did you just say?"

The bewildered look on Kiba's face was slowly starting to irritate Sasuke. He had decided to get laid tonight, and if that one word had ruined it all, it would be-

"Kiba?"

Both the black and the light gray eyes immediately turned to the door, staring at the almost non-transparent figure that was Naruto, the wide blue eyes glued on Kiba's frame. The ghost stood still for a moment, and it looked almost like his legs were trembling as he took a step forward.

"Kiba?" he repeated, his voice now shaking slightly from hesitation and something that could be taken as hope.

That was when Sasuke realized that Naruto was visible not only for him, but for Kiba as well.

"Na...ruto? What are you... Why are you here?" Kiba's voice was barely above a whisper. The words seemed to get stuck in his throat and his voice was raspy, and the look in his eyes was completely shocked, almost panicked.

Then Naruto seemed to accidentally move his leg through a pile of books on the floor, and Kiba's eyes widened even more, making Sasuke fear that they might fall out of the eye sockets.

"Holy shit, dude, does that mean... You're really...? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my _god..._" For a moment Kiba looked like he might burst into tears and he might've done just that if Naruto's image hadn't started to flutter lightly and then slowly dim until there was nothing visible of him anymore.

Neither Kiba nor Sasuke moved for a while, the silence heavy on them while their bodies started to slowly calm down, the moment of heat and passion lost when Naruto had appeared.

Sasuke felt mostly just incredibly awkward, his damp skin starting to turn sticky with sweat and his bangs sticking to his forehead. His leg was also getting numb thanks to Kiba's knee pressing against it but he didn't pay attention to it, being occupied with his mixed up thoughts and the little voice in the back of his mind that was screaming at him that something had gone terribly wrong. Kiba looked almost paralyzed and had he not been breathing, Sasuke would've thought he'd fainted on the top of him with his eyes open. Quietly he cleared his throat, attempting to catch Kiba's attention, but it seemed that the brunette had gone deaf, his eyes glued to the doorway as if he was watching something invisible to Sasuke's eyes.

The raven felt a cold shiver rush down his back, the eerie situation starting to make him really nervous. Slowly he lifted his hand, pressing it against Kiba's shoulder, and then winced when the brunette jerked back, his eyes blinking rapidly.

"Sa-Sasuke, I'm sorry, I... I gotta... I gotta go now, I... Really, sorry, I just... You don't... It's not that..." Not being able to complete any of his sentences, the young man almost fell off the bed, scampering to his shirt and then hastily pulled it on. His eyes were wide and he kept looking around as if he was expecting Naruto to show up again when he wasn't looking, and he almost tripped over his own feet on his way to the door, one last apologetic look being thrown to Sasuke's direction.

Sasuke heard the door being slammed shut and then Kiba was gone, silence filling the apartment. The raven waited for a few seconds, half expecting Kiba to come back, but when nothing happened he slowly pushed himself off the bed, kicking away his shirt that was lying on the floor. He wasn't quite sure what had happened just now, the only thing he knew was that Kiba had somehow managed to see Naruto and had obviously recognized him as well. And only to add to the confusion, it had appeared that Naruto knew Kiba as well, even though the blonde wasn't supposed to remember anything about his life.

"Naruto?" His voice sounded frustrated as it echoed through the apartment, no-one being there to hear or to answer his call. After waiting for a moment for Naruto to show up, Sasuke shook his head as he made his way to the bathroom and into the shower, a hiss excaping his lips as the hot water started scalding his skin. The sweat was soon washed off and there wasn't even a hint of erection left anymore, Kiba's sudden exit having killed it completely. That had been both upsetting and frustrating, mostly since Sasuke wasn't used to being rejected and he'd really needed it.

But apart from that, it had also worried him. As long as he knew, Naruto had never shown himself to anybody else but the raven, and feeling the slight pinch inside him Sasuke couldn't deny that he had been quite flattered by that, and that it had also made him unreasonably a little bit jealous, having Naruto showing himself and especially talking to someone else. That, however, wasn't the worst. Sasuke was feeling somehow betrayed, but it wasn't because of the talking, oh no. What he hated the most was that Naruto had obviously recognized Kiba, although he had said he remembered nothing about his past. It made the raven feel like he'd been lied to, and his heart clenched painfully in his chest, making him scoff. It was pathetic, getting this upset just because Naruto had recognized someone from his previous life. He should've been happy, if not for himself then at least for Naruto; now that they knew of Kiba, he could go ask the brunette about Naruto'd life and death. That way it wouldn't be a secret anymore and then Naruto could maybe feel at peace.

But the other part of Sasuke kept telling him that now Naruto wasn't his anymore. The blonde might not be here with him every day, welcoming him home with the wide, sincerely happy smile of his, no. Naruto might go over to Kiba's place, maybe stay there for a while, or even meet with his old friends. And he would eventually forget that he'd ever been staying at Sasuke's place, leaving the raven alone again. In the ghost, Sasuke had found an unexpected friend, and he wasn't willing to let go of him just yet.

Sighing frustratedly, Sasuke turned his face towards the spray of water, sweeping the dark bangs away his face. He grabbed a soap bottle and quickly washed himself off, stepping out of the shower when he was done. The raven grabbed a towel and dried his hair, wrapping the towel around his hips as he headed to the kitchen for a drink, some part of him hoping that Naruto would be there waiting for him to come and give him ramen again.

No such luck. The kitchen was as empty as it had been when Sasuke had last seen it, no sign on Naruto anywhere. He tried to call the ghost's name a couple of times but after receiving no response he gave up, pouring himself a small glass of wine. He would've preferred something a bit stronger, but since he had nothing else alcoholic in his apartment he had to to settle down with the wine. It took him gracious twenty seconds to empty his glass, the dark eyes peering at the window through the bottom of the empty glass afterwards. The wine was making his head feel a bit weird, his eyes drooping a little more thanks to the alcohol he had downed before dragging Kiba in than the little amount off wine he'd just drank.

Not wanting to feel like a drunkard, the raven let out a sigh and put down his glass, the glass letting out a quiet clang as it touched the metallic drainboard. Sasuke shook off the slightly nervous feeling that was hanging heavily on him, ignoring the eerie atmosphere in the apartment. Naruto still hadn't given him any sign of being around, and Sasuke just assumed that he had gone after Kiba. The pinch of jealousy was there again, but as usual he forced himself to ignore it, not wanting to admit it to himself just yet. There was no such feeling as jealousy for him.

He made his way back to the bedroom, the tension starting to slowly come down and make him feel tired, but as soon as Sasuke noticed the messy sheets he just grabbed a pair of boxers from a drawer and roamed to the living room instead. No sign of Naruto there either. Feeling like punching something, Sasuke dropped the towel down and pulled on the boxers, for once not having the feeling that someone was watching him. That alone was enough of a proof that Naruto was away, and it was slowly starting to make him really nervous. Sure, Naruto could go follow Kiba all he wanted, but he could've noted Sasuke before. Disappearing like that just wasn't like him, and the raven hated to admit that it was making him worried. Worrying over other people just didn't suit him at all.

The poor towel on the floor got kicked to the side before Sasuke finally dropped to the couch, not bothering with sheets or covers. His eyelids felt heavy and he yawned, still wanting to stay awake to make sure that Naruto came back. However, only a few minutes later sleep got better of him and he started breathing slower, the dark eyes shut and arm hanging over the edge of the couch, his fingertips touching the floor. The room looked almost like time had stopped, only a little light coming from outside and nothing moving inside, not even the sleeping young man.

Hours passed, and what had been supposed to be just a quick nap carried on, soon becoming full night's sleep. It wasn't before the first rays of sun poked him in the eyes that Sasuke finally awoke, a sleepy groan escaping from his lips as he tried to hide from the light, covering his eyes. The hasty movement appeared to be a mistake for it almost made him fall off the bed, and just when the raven was about to correct his position to fall asleep again, a quiet dry chuckle stopped him in his tracks, making his back tense.

"Morning, S'uke", a familiar voice murmured from the other side of the room.

Sasuke turned his head, eyes squinting as he tried to see the person sitting in the chair next to the traitorous window that was letting the light inside. As expected, he caught the figure of half-transparent ghost, light pouring in through Naruto's body.  
"What...", he started, clearing his throat as soon as heard his voice. It sounded awfully raspy and sleepy, and the way Naruto stared at the floor made him feel a little uneasy.  
"What happened last night?"

Naruto seemed to flinch a little, his body flickering oddly like it was about to disappear from the view again. His fingers twitched and curled and he shifted on the chair, still not looking at Sasuke. It didn't really take a genius to notice that something was bothering the ghost, and Sasuke had an idea what it was about.

However, he didn't want to put pressure on Naruto, so he just kept quiet, watching the ghost and trying to ignore the relief flooding over him for having Naruto back. He shouldn't be this sensitive when it came to the ghost, not when he didn't even know why Naruto was back. The nervous way the ghost fidgeted might just as well mean that Naruto was going to leave permanently for Kiba and had just come back to tell Sasuke about it, or that he'd met something like his girlfriend or something. Somehow the latter idea stung worse.

"Why did you..." Naruto sounded just as nervous as he looked, his voice unsure and hesitant. He had swallowed the end of his sentence as if not wanting to finish it at all, and for a moment he looked like he might just drop the whole thing. After fidgeting still for a moment, the blond shook his head and swallowed, finally turning his eyes away from the carpet and to Sasuke, determination having returned to the blue depths.  
"Why would you do that with _Kiba_?"

Naruto never failed to surprise him. Sasuke blinked, his face heating up in an unpleasant manner as he thought about the last night. However, He was more surprised than embarrassed, thanks to the way Naruto had put that, as if doing it with Kiba was the main problem here.  
"Well, I... He was the easiest choice. He's been bugging me ever since I came here, and he doesn't seem like a guy to get attached."

The raven shut his mouth when Naruto waved his hand dismissively in the air, in order to make him stop.  
"You're wrong. He may seem like that, but he's actually just like a dog. Give him food once and he'll follow you around forever. He's loyal like that."

"Uh-huh." Sasuke felt a little stunned. He hadn't expected that, but honestly he wanted to know, how much did Naruto remember.  
"Why would you..."

Naruto cut him off again, this time by suddenly standing up and moving closer, the proximity making Sasuke suddenly aware of his vulnerable position.

"I don't know, S'uke. I saw him, and then I just realized that I've known him. I could tell you so much about him, but I still don't now... I don't know for sure. I think we might've been friends, but... I can't tell. It's so weird, and I still can't remember anything else..." Naruto trailed off, turning to look at the wall behind the couch. When he spoke again, his voice sounded thin, like it coming from distance.  
"And lately, I've been feeling odd. Somehow... stretched..."

Having no idea what to say, Sasuke used some time sitting up and getting comfortable on the couch again. It was difficult, thanks to his back and neck that were both aching from the bad sleeping position, but finally he managed to lean his back against the cushions so that it didn't really hurt anywhere. The raven was also painfully aware of his nearly-naked state, not that Naruto was really watching anyway, being apparently occupied with other thoughts. Sasuke cleared his throat again before speaking up, finding the situation extremely awkward.  
"What do you mean, stretched?" If he was lucky, he could lead Naruto into talking about himself and not what had happened between him and Kiba.

Naruto shrugged, walking over and taking a seat on the couch, keeping his distance to Sasuke.  
"I don't know, it's just... Like I should be somewhere else. Sometimes it's stronger, it almost feels like something's pulling my sleeve, and sometimes I don't even notice it. It's... What is it, S'uke?" There it was again, the pained gaze of the once so sparkling blue eyes. Now the pain just wasn't as intense, no, Naruto was obviously distracted by something else.

Sasuke could only guess what it was, but somehow he had the feeling that the mysterious 'something' was pulling Naruto's sleeve again.  
"I don't know", he murmured, shifting again and crossing his legs to appear more relaxed. It was making him so damn tense, watching Naruto like that and knowing that he couldn't help at all.

Almost like he could hear Sasuke's thoughts the ghost shrugged and gave the raven a sad smile, carefully leaning his head on Sasuke's shoulder. The contact made Sasuke shiver briefly but then it passed as his skin adjusted to the cold.  
"It's okay, maybe it'll pass. Perhaps it's my death anniversary and I should go visit my grave or something", Naruto joked dryly, letting out a sigh.

His head felt oddly heavy on Sasuke's shoulder, but the raven didn't attempt to get him to move away. It was almost better this way, not being able to see Naruto's eyes, and being close to the ghost always calmed him down as well.  
"Yeah, maybe", he agreed quietly, attempting to pat Naruto's thigh but failing a little with his hand going through it again.  
"Do you want me to make you ramen again?" Sasuke asked after a moment when Naruto didn't seem to be in the mood to break the silence, and was then totally surprised when the blonde shook his head.

"Not yet. Just wait a little bit, S'uke, then we can go. And besides-", Naruto's voice became slightly mischievous, "I'm not done with that Kiba thing yet!"

Sasuke had never had anyone around to complain about his choice of sex partners, so the scolding he'd received from Naruto had left him a little confused. He really didn't understand why Naruto cared about it so much to begin with, enough to give him a complete list of Kiba's worst traits and bad habits, continuing to the point where Sasuke started to doubt he was just making up things. Naruto had exclaimed loudly and had sworn over his dead body that he was being serious. As amusing as the way he'd put it had been, the raven still hadn't been entirely convinced and finally Naruto had just dropped it after telling him to go somewhere else with his one-night stands next time; the ghost apparently didn't want to watch other people having sex when he could never do that again himself.

And after making Naruto the last cup of ramen he had in the apartment, Sasuke had decided to use that as an excuse to get out of the building for a moment, to clear his head. It was cold outside, the wind blowing tiny snowflakes to his face but not stopping them from melting immediately, soon making him feel like he had dipped his head into a bowl of water. There wasn't much people out on foot, and the very few that dared to walk in the streets had hidden themselves inside large thick coats and hats. Sasuke was the only exception, wearing only a light coat over his jeans and t-shirt, the coldness biting him through the thin fabrics.

Luck for him, the grocery store wasn't too far from his home and it didn't take him long to grab a few packages of instant ramen and then head back, ignoring the pitying looks he was given from the cars passing by. People seemingly couldn't understand why anyone would possibly want to walk outside in such a weather.

The elevator doors closed after him with a hiss and Sasuke stared at his reflection in the mirror wall, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. It was no wonder he'd been stared at. His hair was wet and almost flat even from the back, his coat looking like it couldn't keep anyone warm and his eyes having dark bags underneath them from the lack of sleep. He looked almost like a zombie on the stroll.

"Welcome back!"

The chirpy voice made Sasuke spin around and he immediately spotted Naruto's head floating in the air near the elevator's door. The ghost was grinning at him happily again, looking like there was nothing wrong, and Sasuke smirked at him, finding it relieving to see Naruto acting so normal again. He shook his head and opened his mouth to ask why the ghost had bothered to come to the elevator to greet him, but before he could say anything the elevator stopped and the doors opened, an elder lady stepping inside. She gave Sasuke an odd look and held her coat tighter around herself, the look in her eyes turning a little nervous as Sasuke suddenly smirked at her, having realized that the woman had walked straight through Naruto.

The raven stepped out of the elevator on his floor, knowing that Naruto was right behind him. The entered the apartment in comfortable silence, Naruto's shoulder bumping through Sasuke's but neither of them paid attention. Nothing was said until Naruto started to question the raven about the flavours of ramen he'd bought, and Sasuke ended up laying them all on the table for him to check. No complaints were given. Well, at least no more than usually.

A little less than a week later Naruto had made his decision.

It was early morning and he knew Sasuke's alarm clock would go off in five minutes, so he was sitting on the raven's bed, watching him sleep with an odd look on his face. The pulling feeling was there, trying to yank him somewhere and he didn't want to go, not knowing what it was. It was making him nervous even if he refused to tell Sasuke anything more about it, and it was getting too hard to hide; the raven was sharp and saw right through him when he tried to pretend that things were fine.

The loud beeping of the digital alarm clock startled Sasuke awake in the exact five minutes, and being used to having Naruto around he didn't find it weird at all that there was a face of the ghost looming over him as his eyes opened.  
"Morning, Naruto", he murmured groggily, rubbing his eyes before pushing himself off the bed, sleep still heavily lingering on him. It was so much that he didn't even notice how quiet Naruto was being, not before he'd made his way to the bathroom door and still hadn't received a 'good morning'.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked without turning around, knowing that Naruto could hear him just fine. There was no answer, the only sound being a slight rustle of Naruto's clothes as the ghost stood up and walked closer, keeping quiet until he was leaning against the wall next to the door.  
Sasuke was almost afraid to look at the blonde, the possibility of the pained, scared look being there scaring him a little. So he kept his eyes on the door, waiting for Naruto to answer his question.

He didn't have to wait for long. Leaning against the wall, the ghost sighed, not aware of the way the breeze tickled Sasuke's arm, and then shrugged.  
"Nothing, really. I just..." He seemed to hesitate a little, his voice trailing off for a moment.  
"I want you to ask Kiba. About me. How I died."

Finally Sasuke turned his eyes away from the door, knowing that they wouldn't see pain in Naruto's ones. There was only determination and hesitation mixed in the azure pools, and as soon as the ghost realized Sasuke was watching, he gave the raven a quick smile, nodding encouragingly.  
"I'm sure. I want to know what it is... was... and what he was to me." His voice came stronger with every word until there was no hesitation left, making clear that his decision was final.  
"Would you... Could you do that for me, S'uke?"

Sasuke found himself nodding without a question, Naruto's eyes having caught him again. With the way the ghost had just sounded, the raven might've agreed to do anything for him, and even if he was a little embarrassed to go talk to Kiba who had been avoiding him the whole week, he knew he could do it for Naruto.  
"...I will", he promised firmly, smirking in response to the brilliant grin he got from Naruto.

And with that grin in mind, Sasuke was hours later waiting for Kiba in front of the brunette's class room, planning to catch him before the other would have enough timeto run away.

Kiba was one of the first students to bolt out of the room when the bell rung, signalizing the end of the class. However, his run for freedom didn't last for long. A pale hand shot up from nowhere and grabbed him by the sleeve, forcing the brunette to do an odd pirouette to stay on his feet. The light eyes were wide and surprised and their gaze immediately turned away from Sasuke's eyes, shame flickering across his eyes as he tried to wrench his hand arm free, failing miserably.  
"Dude, I'm in a hurry", he murmured, still trying to get free from Sasuke's grip.

Sasuke ignored Kiba's struggling and just tightened his hold, pulling the brunette closer. His eyes were cold and determined as he glared at the man, annoyance spreading through him as Kiba still kept squirming.  
"Stop acting like a girl!" he snapped, and the brunette froze momentarily, glancing up at him. Sasuke tugged Kiba's sleeve demandingly, his other hand having balled into a fist already. Not that he had been about to punch the brunette, but the way Kiba was acting was making it hard not to get pissed off.  
"I just need to ask you something." Saying nothing more, Sasuke turned around and started dragging Kiba towards the door with him, ignoring the confused whispering around them.

Kiba didn't say a word until they were outside and around the corner, at lest somewhat safe from prying ears. That was where Sasuke finally let go of his sleeve, trusting Kiba being sharp enough to not run away. For once his trust was rewarded, the brunette just stood there, back against the wall and stared at the raven. Sasuke could almost hear the wheels turning in his brain as the brunette obviously tried to come up with a decent excuse to run away. He shifted his weight a little, a frown crossing his face and Kiba flinched at the look he was given, looking like a jumpy rabbit in front of a hungry wolf. The raven couldn't help getting a bit of dark satisfaction out of the situation.  
"Who is Naruto?"

If his question surprised Kiba, the brunette didn't show it in any way. His eyes dropped to the ground and he rubbed his neck, looking just extremely uncomfortable under Sasuke's questioning glare.  
"I... You know, Sasuke, I really don't want to talk about him, okay? Couldn't we just-"

"No."

"But Sasuke, c'mon, you know-"

"I said no. Tell me about Naruto." Sasuke's voice was firm and he was not going to take any complaints. He kept his eyes on Kiba as the brunette clearly fought with himself, his shoulders shaking a little, and he was surprised to notice that Kiba's eyes were slightly glossy as he looked up at the raven.

"Fine, bastard! Naruto was my best friend. What else do you want to know?"

The fiery answer wasn't exactly what Sasuke had been expecting, and he was at a loss of words for a moment, feeling like he had accidentally pressed into something that was none of his business. Yet at the same time, he couldn't help the nervous feeling that he could finally get to know more about Naruto, how the blonde had lived and more importantly, had died.  
"Was?" The raven asked, arching a brow. He didn't want to appear too curious, not when he wasn't sure if Kiba had realized they had both seen the ghost.

The brunette shrugged, kicking the ground with his toes, his shoulders still all tense.  
"Yeah, was. You haven't seen anyone named Naruto around here, have you?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm, then shrugged again.  
"He was in a car accident some weeks before you moved here."

Sasuke gulped, staring at the brunette. So he had been just a couple of weeks late to meet Naruto for real? Felt a bit too ironic. His heart was thumping almost sadly in his chest as he cleared his throat, trying his best to act like it didn't really concern him. He wasn't supposed to know Naruto, after all. The dark eyes slowly fell to the ground and the raven brought his hand up, rubbing the bridge of his nose. That was it, huh? A car accident, nothing more dramatic? Maybe it was good, after all. And then Kiba spoke again, bringing Sasuke's attention back to him.

"Don't look like that, he didn't die. He's been in coma since then. Not that it makes much difference."

Sasuke stared at the annoyed brunette, too shocked to even blink. His entire body felt frozen, just like that one time when Naruto had been lying practically inside him when he'd been sleeping -the blonde had thought it would be a good joke to lie on the top of the raven, he just had forgotten that he would go straight through Sasuke and that it might actually freeze the man-, not even a finger moving as his mind tried to process the information he'd been given. In a coma... That would turn everything upside down. Up until now, he'd been thinking that Naruto was of course dead and that there was no way he'd be alive again, no matter how much the raven hoped for it. He had known that they could never really touch and had pushed back _everything_ he'd felt for the ghost, denying everything from even himself, knowing that he had to be wiser than to fall for a ghost.

And now there was hope. It felt so weird, thinking that somewhere in this city was Naruto's body, still alive and breathing and warm. The thought made Sasuke close his eyes briefly, mixed emotions rushing through him. He didn't know what to think, there was so much in his head now, happiness bubbling through him with hope and making him feel like a fool for daring to get so excited. Hope was for the weak, after all.

"Yo, Sasuke... You okay?"

Kiba's concerned voice startled Sasuke out of his thoughts. He glanced up into Kiba's alarmed eyes, shifting a little. He hadn't realized that he'd been quietly staring at the brunette for so long, he'd just... He needed to tell Naruto.

"Hey, c'mon... That's not funny, okay? Stop acting like that, dude, you're creeping me out!"

Sasuke rapidly shook his head and took a step back, staring firmly into Kiba's eyes for a brief second.  
"I'm okay. Thanks for telling me. I have to go now." And with those short, sharp words he turned around and practically jogged back to the parking lot and to his car, his heart thumping in his chest. It felt like his legs weren't able to keep up with its beat as he rushed to his car, starting it and driving off the parking lot. He hadn't even fastened his seatbelt, being still so shocked and nervous, as well as excited.

Driving through the city, Sasuke tried to calm down. He knew he was acting stupid, getting so worked up, but he couldn't help it. The possibility of Naruto being alive was too overwhelming, too unreal yet at the same time, so thrilling. He ignored the honking, just like he'd ignored the shout Kiba had given him after he'd ran away from him just a moment ago, just wanting to get home.

By the time he finally unlocked his door, he had managed to regain his composure, looking just as calm and collected as always. His heart was still beating a bit faster than usual, and perhaps he was just a tad flushed, but other than that there was no way to tell that he was eager to get home. Sasuke took one deep breath before turning the key in the lock, pushing the door open. It was time to tell the good news to Naruto.

Immediately he knew that something was wrong. The apartment was quiet in a way that it hadn't been since Naruto had sort of moved in. There was no presence in the room and what struck Sasuke the most was that it was actually warm inside. When Naruto was around, the area got a little bit colder all around him, making the temperature in his apartment to drop of a couple of degrees. Some people had asked about it, but Sasuke had always explained it with bad heating system. Now that he was used to the little bit colder temperature, his apartment felt unnaturally warm.

"Naruto?" No answer. His throat tightening, Sasuke kicked off his shoes and quickly searched through the whole apartment, finding no sign of the ghost. It was warm everywhere, he couldn't feel even a hint of the chilly breeze that was always around Naruto anywhere. No sound, nothing to see... There was no-one else in the apartment. To be honest, it almost seemed as if there had never been anyone but the raven in here.

Half an hour later Sasuke sat down at the kitchen table, burying his face into his hands. The more time he spent here, the more certain he was of one fact.

Naruto was gone.

TBC...


	3. Athazagoraphobia

**A/N:** Thank you so so much for the reviews! They really made my day ~ I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer:** The characters are all being borrowed by Masashi Kishimoto, and the lyrics in this chapter are from songs by Kate Bush and Placebo and the copyrights belong to their righteous owners.

* * *

For Didi

* * *

The next couple of days passed in a kind of a haze. Every moment Sasuke waited for Naruto to appear, grinning and laughing at him for being so worried about him, but he didn't have such luck. No matter how much he wished for it, and no matter how much he kept calling out for Naruto when he was alone in his apartment, nothing happened. His apartment remained warm and empty, no sign of Naruto anywhere. And as days passed, an awful possibility started to creep into his head. Naruto might not be coming back.

Sasuke didn't understand what had happened. Naruto had seemed okay in the morning, but now... It was impossible for Sasuke to believe that Naruto would've just left without saying anything to him, not unless something had happened. Or maybe he had changed his mind about knowing the truth? But even so, he would've expected the blonde to tell him about it. Something just wasn't right. His apartment felt so empty without Naruto there, and more often than not Sasuke found himself wishing that he could again feel the invisible eyes watching him from a corner. But mostly he felt disappointed and betrayed. He wouldn't never expected Naruto to just run away from him like that, and now... He couldn't understand.

Kiba was again avoiding him, so Sasuke couldn't even ask him about the hospital Naruto was in. Or, to be honest, he couldn't remember seeing the brunette at school at all after their little chat about Naruto, and the raven couldn't help feeling a little bit guilty. He could only hope that nothing had happened to the other man. It wasn't Kiba's fault that Sasuke had come here too late, nor could he blame Kiba for Naruto's sudden disappearance. Something else was going on, and the raven was determined to find out, even though he had no idea where to start.

It was almost two weeks after the day Naruto had vanished when Sasuke finally saw Kiba again. The brunette was standing within a small distance from a group of students, glaring menacingly at the said bunch of people, his arms folded across his chest. Kiba certainly didn't look happy with the situation, but as Sasuke watched him, the brunette broke grinning, that grin being almost a match for Naruto's wildest ones. He moved a bit closer to the circle of students and shouted something, someone replying and the people starting to move around a little.

The raven might've passed the gathering as a fist fight going on or something had he not seen the look on Kiba's face. That one thing drew him closer, and with slow steps he moved to the direction of the group and Kiba, the brunette noticing him before he got close enough to see what was inside that circle.

The dog boy dashed to Sasuke, wrapping his arms around the raven's neck for a brief hug, and then jumped off again, looking like an excited puppy. Sasuke didn't have time to ask what was going on, Kiba was obviously too pumped up to care about anything. And it appeared that it was for a reason.

"He's back! Can you believe it, he's back! He woke up!"

"...what? Who is?" Sasuke stared at Kiba, a frown crossing his face as he took in the appearance of the beaming brunette. The young man seemed happier than Sasuke had ever seen him, his eyes shining and a wide smile on his face. Kiba was also constantly shifting his weight from a foot to another, looking excited enough to start bouncing up and down. He kept glancing back at the group of students, although when Sasuke's words sunk in an annoyed scowl crossed his face and he rolled his eyes as if he was dealing with a complete retard.

"What do you mean, who? Naruto of course! The guy you were asking about a while ago, remember?"

With that, Kiba bounced back to other students, and for once Sasuke was actually happy for something Kiba had done. Had the brunette still been there, he would've seen the oddest look of disbelief and hope crossing Sasuke's face and then transforming into a rare smile. The raven felt something warm and hopeful spread through him and when he lifted a hand to brush his bangs away from his eyes, he noticed that his hands were shaking a little.

It couldn't be. Suddenly everything clicked, like a puzzle had been solved, and things started to make sense. The weird pulling Naruto had talked about, could that have been his body starting to wake up? And when he'd completely disappeared, that had been because he'd finally broken out of the coma? He should've guessed it.

Wiping the smile away from his face, Sasuke took a couple of steps towards the group, stopping in his tracks right after. Hesitation swallowed at him as he listened to the people laugh, and he could actually hear a painfully familiar voice say something about ramen in the middle of the chattering, another bark of laughter following.

The raven stepped backwards and turned on his heels, starting to walk towards the correct part of the school building. He didn't belong there, celebrating Naruto's return with all those people, it wasn't for him. In their eyes, he didn't know Naruto, they had never met each other, and as far as Kiba was concerned, he had heard about Naruto just some days ago. Sasuke wasn't stupid enough to jump to the middle of the action and demand Naruto to focus on him only, no. No matter how much admitting it stung, the blonde had other friends, people he'd known for years and years again, and those years weighed too much against the couple of months he'd spent with Sasuke.

Shaking his head, Sasuke stomped the ground by the doorway to get the snow away from his shoes and then stepped inside, relishing the warmth of the building. It wasn't as cold as it could've been outside, but it was still enough to make his cheeks red and legs tremble. As he walked to his first class, the raven kept slapping his thighs, trying to warm up both his hands and legs. It was still paining him to know that Naruto was there, so close but yet so far, and he couldn't go and talk to him. He just had to wait a little.

Sasuke's wait eventually didn't last as long as he'd been afraid it would. It seemed that everyone in the whole school had known Naruto, and the blonde was always surrounded by people no matter where he went. In Sasuke's opinion, it was going a little bit over the top, especially that one time when he'd seen a bunch of students follow Naruto to the toilets and then wait at his stall's door until he came back. Talk about worshiping. There was no silent or calm moment around Naruto, and the people around him were never quiet.

And Naruto himself... He looked exactly the same, save for the different clothes. His voice was the same, and it made Sasuke's heart always jump oddly when he heard the young man laugh somewhere close to him. It was still so weird, he wasn't used to everyone else being able to see Naruto, no matter how odd that sounded, and he couldn't help being a little bit jealous. He would've wanted to go to at least talk to the blonde and ask if he was okay, but it wouldn't work out. He was still the new guy here.

It was only one more day and then came the weekend, the time that Sasuke spent in solitude in his apartment, being constantly startled by someone moving in the apartments below or above his. Every time he heard something he would whip around and stare at the empty space, almost expecting Naruto's head to pop out from somewhere, and then he'd remember that the ghost wasn't there anymore. In a sense, Naruto's ghost didn't even exist anymore, and after lying awake for hours in his bed, when sun started to already peak through his curtains, Sasuke was starting to doubt Naruto had ever been here. Perhaps it had been just his imagination, his lonely head creating an imaginary friend.

The thought made him frown and he shook his head awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head to the pillow as he did so. It had happened and he knew it, so there was no reason to get so sentimental over it. It also did bother him a little that Naruto didn't seem to be looking for him at all, but he figured the blonde probably just thought he'd been dreaming or something, or maybe he was still too overwhelmed by all the other things, like being able to eat again. A smirk crossed Sasuke's face as he thought about Naruto having his first ramen after waking up; he wished he could've been there to witness it.

And on Monday morning Sasuke was up earlier than usual, waiting at the school's parking lot. He knew Naruto had a car, a bright orange one, the blond had come with that one last Friday, and he was determined to catch Naruto before his friends did. His heart was hammering his chest almost painfully hard and the raven was afraid Naruto would hear his heartbeat when they finally met. He couldn't remember being this nervous ever before, so many thoughts and possible outcomes going around his head as he waited, leaning casually against his car. Minutes ticked by and the raven started to get almost fidgety, dreading the possibility that Naruto might not be coming early enough.

Two more minutes passed and then an orange car appeared to the driveway, the tires letting out a loud cry as the driver braked to hard and fast (Sasuke thanked the heavens that there wasn't ice on the ground), stopping the car so that it would take at least two cars' space in the parking lot. A blond-haired young man jumped out of the car, grinning brightly at the chilly morning.

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat and he forced his legs to move, striding towards the blonde. Naruto had turned around, his upper body still inside the car, and the raven could only guess that he was doing something to the car radio. Loud music boomed out for seconds before it became quiet again, and the blonde stood up and brushed his bare hands to his pants, still grinning. That was when he noticed Sasuke, the raven being just a few steps away from him.

Sasuke couldn't help it, the eyes were still drawing him in. Now that they weren't transparent anymore, the color was a little bit different, a lot more intense and deep, and the raven found himself staring again, getting lost into the blue depths. Now he just didn't have time for this.  
Drawing his gaze out of Naruto's eyes, Sasuke refused to acknowledge the cocky grin and just cleared his throat, trying to appear calm.  
"Hi, Naruto."

Something odd flashed in the azure eyes and Naruto's face scrunched into a momentary frown as he peered at Sasuke. He wasn't wearing a hat, so the silently falling snowflakes were allowed to melt on his skin and get trapped with the soft hair. Sasuke found himself watching as a certain small flake fell down to Naruto's lower lip and immediately melted away.

"Uh, hi?" The confusion in Naruto's voice startled the raven, and he looked up again, almost flinching as he saw the puzzled look on the other's face. He took a tiny step back, suddenly feeling cold inside. He should've guessed it. Now that he was here, he realized why Naruto hadn't been looking for him, and he didn't want to hear it. He didn't, but he knew it was coming.

And it did, with voice that was both confused and a little apologizing.  
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but who are you?"

Sasuke had known to expect it. Even before Naruto had said anything, the raven had known it would come down to this. He should've guessed it right from the start, but it was no use crying over spilled milk. The raven opened his mouth to say something, to explain why he was acting so casually around someone who didn't know him, but no words were coming out. He shut his mouth again, feeling like a complete idiot for saying nothing, but Naruto didn't mind.

In fact, it was just the opposite.

Suddenly the bright blue eyes lit up and squinted as Naruto broke smiling, actually flailing a little. Sasuke had never seen anyone look so much like a lamp that had been lit, it was clear that the blonde had come to some kind of a realization.

Hope pinched Sasuke's throat again and had he been a dog, his ears would've perked up as he stared at Naruto, not daring to hope for what he was mostly longing for at the moment. The way Naruto was now looking at him talked about recognition, and the smile he was giving... It wasn't the kind of smile you'd give to a total stranger, now was it? The blonde looked almost like he was about to hug Sasuke, and the raven would've, for once, welcomed a hug with open arms. He had wanted to touch Naruto's skin, his real skin and not just the ghostly image, for so long, and now it finally seemed possible. He opened his mouth to speak again, his hand twitching as if to move forward to touch Naruto, and then the blond chuckled.

"I know, I know! Sorry I didn't realize it right away, you gotta be the new guy!"

...and everything came grumbling down for Sasuke. All the hope for Naruto remembering him was ripped off his body, leaving him feel disappointed and somehow empty. His heartbeat felt painful as it slowed down, returning to normal as he clenched his hands into fists, fighting to keep his indifferent charade up.

"...and Kiba's been talking about you, he said you guys had quite a hot night sometime ago, but now that I saw you it's hard for me to believe him, I mean, how could a mutt like him..."

Naruto's babbling went in from one ear and out of the other, nothing staying in Sasuke's head. He couldn't do anything but stare, the disappointment slowly eating him up from the inside. Now he felt idiotic, having hoped so much from this. Naruto didn't remember him, and he never would. Sasuke, on the other hand, would know what they had had, if they had even had anything, and he wouldn't forget it, not like that, not as long as he was around Naruto. He had to get away.

"I gotta go." Adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder, Sasuke turned around and started to walk away, not seeing the slight frustration and confusion and spread to Naruto's face as he was left standing alone.

"Hey... Hey, teme...! Don't just... leave like that! You bastard!"

Sasuke bit his lip, picking up his pace. He didn't want to hear Naruto insulting him like that, not when he'd used to hear it from the ghost that had lived with him. The footsteps behind him didn't make him turn around, and he even ignored the hand that pressed on his shoulder, shaking it off. He had a strong urge to break running, just to get away faster, but his legs didn't seem to work, no, they kept up with their previous pace, Naruto still walking right behind him.

"Yo, hey, I'm sorry if I upset you, but I seriously didn't realize who you were, it's not-"

"Shut up."

"What, why? What's wrong with you, seriously? You came to me, remember? Don't just-"

"Yo, Naruto!" Kiba's voice broke the awkward conversation, and for once in his life Sasuke was happy to see the brunette. The guy bounced to them after parking his bike, grabbing Naruto to a headlock and ruffling his hair.  
"Whatcha doin', harassing Sasuke like that? Told ya he's hot stuff, right?"

With Naruto grumbling something incomprehensible while trying to escape the hold, Sasuke used the time to slip away, leaving Kiba deal with Naruto for now. He would never go near Naruto again, there was no way he'd become just another admirer in Naruto's group of friends. Not when the blonde didn't remember.

The next day the clouds were dark and heavy, hanging above the city like a suffocating blanket and threatening to break and let the snow they hid inside them fall down and cover the droopy city under a mass of white flakes. Sun was hardly visible through the thick clouds and most of adults cursed the sky, wishing that they could still get back home from work before the snowstorm that was obviously crawling closer. The children, however, seemed only delighted about the possibility of getting more snow to play in, and so did half of the students in Sasuke's class. The girls sitting right in front of him kept glancing at the window and sighing in agony when it still wasn't snowing; the raven was sure he even caught a mumbled conversation about how romantic it would be to kiss someone in the snow.

To Sasuke, the weather seemed to perfectly mimic his state of mind. His head felt heavy and he didn't feel like doing anything, just getting up from the bed had felt difficult. And that had been before he had even seen the clouds. They had done little to lift his mood, but now he actually found them rather comforting. The other half of his fellow students, the ones that were not fuzzing over the possibility of getting more snow, seemed to all be feeling a little down thanks to the dark day, and so no-one paid any attention to Sasuke's brooding. Kiba was busy with Naruto like he'd been ever since the blonde had miraculously woken up from coma, and being left alone felt just good. Sasuke didn't need anyone to bug him about his sudden change of mood.

What did bother him, however, was the way Naruto had glanced at him when they had passed each other in the hallways a couple of times during the day. It was not a knowing look, it was not something that would've given Sasuke any more false hope, but it was a look full of questions and curiosity as well as confusion. It was there every time he caught Naruto watching him, and it was making him slightly irritated with both himself for still wanting to get his hopes up for that and Naruto, for staring at him like an idiot.

The final bell rang and students started to pour out of the building, the first snowflakes finally fluttering down from the gray skies. Sasuke was glad he had decided to stay in the library for a while, and even there he could hear the delighted screams and laughing from outside. At some point, he was sure he heard Kiba yell something, and then a sharp pain in his palm brought to his notice that he had broken his pencil and cut his palm open with it. He rubbed off the couple of drops of blood before returning his attention to his book. He wanted to get some studying done before going back to his apartment... It hadn't felt the same after Naruto had left. He didn't want to be there.

The clock ticked, and Sasuke kept flipping through the pages of his book, his brain absorbing the information although he wasn't exactly thinking of what he was reading. The screams outside the school had finally disappeared and it was perfectly quiet and peaceful in the library, just a couple of students being there with him, and no-one paid any attention to anything else but their studies. And being like that was exactly what Sasuke had needed. He got to empty his head from everything but school, do something else than think about Naruto and how to best avoid him. It was distracting enough to help him clear his head a little, and also distracting enough to make him forget about the time.

It was only when the lights in the library flickered twice and even shut down for a moment that Sasuke realized what was going on. He'd been here for three hours already and he was alone, or so it seemed, and through the window on his right he could see nothing. The clouds had finally ripped and snow was falling down, creating a white curtain that hid the world behind it completely. The wind was rising as well, making the usually so innocent snowflakes swirl through the air like tiny daggers. It was a beautiful sight in a way, but it was also a little intimidating, knowing that Sasuke had to find his way home through the storm.

The lights flickered again, this time going out for a minute or so. For all that time Sasuke sat there, watching the snow from the window and wondering how on earth he was supposed to get home. He wasn't suicidal enough to even think about driving, even if leaving his car here didn't sound too appealing either. Walking in that storm wouldn't be smart, but he'd probably have no other choice except waiting here until the storm calmed down a little. It might not happen in a a while, maybe not today at all, and then he'd have to walk, but did it really matter when he left? It didn't. No-one was waiting for him to come home, after all.

So Sasuke chose the waiting. He leaned back in his chair as soon as the lights came back and continued reading from where he'd left of, only to feel like something was wrong. There was this prickling feeling in his spine, running up his neck, just the thing you felt when someone was watching you. Glancing around in the room he could see nobody, not even the librarian, but then someone cleared their throat behind him and the raven turned around, only to meet the firm gaze of the painfully familiar azure eyes.

Naruto looked weird. Somehow Sasuke could tell that he'd been standing there for a long long time, maybe even for an hour or so, and the look on his face was puzzled. The blond brows were furrowed and Naruto's lower lip was jutting out in a thoughtful pout, his hands buried in his pockets as he leaned his shoulder casually on a large bookshelf, just watching Sasuke calmly.

The raven returned the stare, wanting to move but being unable to do so, once again being captured by Naruto's eyes. It was weird feeling, being held in his spot by a mere look from Naruto, but he couldn't help it, and neither could he deny how much he wanted to go to the other man and shake him, force him to remember everything. It was futile, to wish for such a thing, yet it was still there, the hint of hope inside him.

"Don't think I'm stalking you." Naruto's words pierced the silence abruptly, almost forcibly breaking the atmosphere in the room. He sounded defensive but in a relaxed sort of way, not as if he really felt like he had to defend himself. The blonde shook his head, giving Sasuke a weak grin before taking a step forward, clearly intending to walk over to the table the raven was sitting at.

And then the lights went out again.

Sasuke stiffened immediately, the darkness blinding him immediately. His hands had fallen to the table and he tried to breath quietly, in order to locate Naruto by sound. Now that he couldn't see the other he could've probably escaped the hypnotizing gaze of the azure eyes, but running around in the dark probably wouldn't do any good; with his luck he'd end up in Naruto's lap for sure.

So instead of moving anywhere, the raven stayed as still as he could, listening carefully. He could hear someone moving outside the library, running even, probably trying to figure out what had happened to the power, and quieter steps could be heard from the upper floor as well, but no-one seemed to be walking near Sasuke. He could still hear Naruto's breathing, and the source of the sound seemed to be moving around a little, but Sasuke couldn't tell for sure. He shook his head in the dark, his eyes starting to slowly adjust to the changed lighting, and he contemplated saying something, asking Naruto if he was okay.

Sasuke never needed to. Before he could open his mouth, a loud crash emerged in the room with the sound of something colliding with the floor.

"Jesus, what was that..." Naruto sounded honestly surprised but thankfully not hurt, his voice coming from the floor near Sasuke's legs.

The raven pulled his chair back and ignored the noises coming from Naruto trying to stand up again. His hand snaked into his pants pocket and fetched out his cell phone, directing the screen at Naruto's direction after pressing a few keys. With the faint light the device provided, Sasuke could make something of the situation. Probably having aimed at him, Naruto had stumbled across across a chair next to Sasuke's and fallen over.  
"You didn't hit your head, did you?" The edge of the table was close.

A surprised look crossed Naruto's face for such voiced concern and he shook his head, rubbing his nose a little.  
"Nah... Though my nose did hit the floor", he murmured in return, finally getting up to his feet and pulling the chair up with him as well. He placed it close to Sasuke's, sitting facing the raven, a soft smile on his face.  
"Now that-"

He never got to finish his sentence as Sasuke abruptly stuffed the cell phone back to his pocket and made an attempt to get up, the urge to escape the situation reappearing and clinging to him like a leech.

But it was all in vain again. Immediately there was a hand gripping his knee, desperately holding onto him, and Sasuke could feel Naruto's eyes on him even though it was impossible for them to see each other in the darkness.

"Don't go!" Naruto's tone was commanding and pleading at the same time, something oddly desperate lingering in the depths of the deep voice.  
"I'm serious, Sasuke, I need to talk to you! Just a... just give me a moment. One moment, okay, and then you can go all you want."

The raven hesitated for a moment, feeling the tension of the hand gripping his leg, and then he gave up with a sigh, sinking back to his chair. The hand didn't retreat, but Sasuke didn't feel like pointing it out either, that being a sign of weakness in his opinion.  
"Fine. Now talk, dobe."

It took Naruto a while to get going. He circled around the subject, pointing out the weather and asking about Sasuke's studies and how he had liked the town, all sorts of things except the thing he had come to talk about. The only response he received was cold silence, and after a while the nervous rustling of clothes from Naruto's chair grew louder and then ended as the blonde found a comfortable position, letting out a heavy sigh.

Sasuke felt his shoulders go tense, nervously waiting for Naruto to move on. The lights were still out, but his eyes had adjusted to the darkness well and when he focused on it, he could see Naruto's figure sitting in front of him. It was an eerie sight, the blonde's eyes being so bright and almost glowing in the darkness, strongly reminding the raven of the ghost he had known. And remembering the ghost always made Sasuke want to get away from him. It wasn't getting any easier for him just yet, to be around Naruto so casually.

"So..." Naruto's voice was raspy and sounded forced, and he cleared his throat, managing to look uncomfortable even in the darkness.  
"This might sound a bit weird to you, but... Do you believe in reincarnation?" He sounded both embarrassed and a little hopeful, as if not knowing what kind of answer to expect.

If the question had surprised Sasuke, he didn't show it. Knowing that Naruto couldn't see it, the raven arched his eyebrows and gave him a questioning look, something odd stirring in the pit of his stomach. It was not hope, not really, more like just curiosity.  
"Reincarnation, dobe?" he asked, mocking tone in his voice.

"Yes, reincarnation. As in, soul being born again in different body and-"

"I know what reincarnation means."

"Oh..."

Silence filled the room once more, Sasuke trying to decide whether he should say something to encourage Naruto to move on or not, and Naruto being lost in his thoughts for a while. Neither of them moved and the silence stretched out, starting to slowly feel uncomfortable. No-one felt like speaking first, and Sasuke used the valuable time thinking about what Naruto had said, about reincarnation.

"I don't." Sasuke's voice was soft and strangely quiet as he spoke, Naruto's head snapping up from the sluggish position it had been in. The raven didn't feel like letting him talk now, so he shook his head, knowing that Naruto could see at least the movement in the faint light the snowy window provided.  
"Or it's more like I don't care. I'm not saying it happens or that it doesn't, I'm not really interested. Why are you asking?"

Naruto seemed immediately more awake, his eyes watching Sasuke intensively in the darkness.  
"I was just wondering..." He let out a nervous laugh, still managing to appear confident as he spoke with low, hushed voice, leaning closer to Sasuke.  
"I know I've never seen you before, and yet... I feel like I've met you before, like I've known you long ago... You know, like in a previous life or something?"

Sasuke could feel Naruto's eyes on him, eager to see his reaction, but the blonde was destined to end up disappointed. Sasuke's face remained impassive and the look have threw at Naruto didn't give out anything. He just shifted a little in his chair, leaning back slightly due to Naruto inching forward. He was not going to give Naruto the satisfaction of provoking a reaction out of him, and he definitely didn't want to start talking about previous life when the reality couldn't be further from it.

Naruto, however, didn't seem too taken aback by the non-existent reaction from Sasuke's part. The frown on his face deepened and he shook his head, scratching his nose thoughtfully.  
"Mm, I figured... I don't really know how to explain it, but..." The young man chuckled again, giving Sasuke another slightly embarrassed look.  
"Sometimes, when I see you do something, even from a distance, I get this weird déjà-vu feeling." He fell silent again, tapping his lower lip with his fingers, apparently contemplating what to say next.  
"Like when we first met, in the parking lot, and you got annoyed by something I said, your eyebrow did this funny twitch thing, I knew I'd seen it before, and..." Suddenly, Naruto's face became darker and Sasuke could only assume it was blush.

The blonde had cut himself off, and Sasuke waited silently again. It was just a bit difficult now for he had become curious even if he had tried to fight it. He couldn't help feeling that maybe these déjà-vu feelings were symptoms of Naruto starting to finally remember, and he wanted to know what else the other had to say.  
"And...?" he coaxed, trying to get Naruto to continue his little monologue.

Naruto shook his head, shrugging like trying to dismiss the thought. Then he seemed to change his mind and leaned even forward, his hand coming up hesitantly and the slim fingers brushed against Sasuke's cheek.

The raven flinched, immediately pulling backwards, still instinctively expecting the cold fingers to dig through his cheek.

It didn't go unnoticed by Naruto, and a frown marred his features once again as he pulled his hand back, rubbing his fingers together.  
"And... Every time I touch you, you feel... It feels familiar, everything in it. The way you react, how you feel, it's all like I've touched you before, but then... There's something wrong. It's so familiar, but then again, something is different. Do you... Do I sound completely incomprehensible?" Naruto fidgeted nervously, trying to put up a confident front but failing a little. Sasuke knew what to look for to see that he was nervous.

Other than that, he couldn't really say something. After a moment of rushed thinking he just shook his head, refusing to actually say anything. He didn't know what to say without giving out too much, without telling Naruto that he was on the right track. The blonde should remember everything by himself and not be told the whole story by someone else, even Sasuke.

Naruto looked a little confused but gave a small grin anyway.  
"I don't? Well, that's... good I guess. Then maybe... Do you know what I mean? Do you feel it too? Or is it just me?" His voice rose a bit towards the end, his confidence starting to break, making the way he spoke a little rushed and shaky.

Sasuke could feel the desperation oozing out of the other man, and the sudden change of atmosphere surprised him. Naruto had jumped from confident to desperate in less than two seconds, something that seemed almost typical to him now that Sasuke had seen in happen a couple of times.

"Sasuke? Tell me! Is it just me? I... I feel stupid telling you this, but... I can't stop it! You're like a leech in my mind, I can't stop thinking about you even when I try. There's something in you... Like I should know you, even if you don't know me at all, and-"

The rant was cut short when Sasuke leaned forward, cupping Naruto's cheeks and making his eyes widen all round and surprised. The blonde shut his mouth and then opened it again, being silenced by a scowl Sasuke gave him.  
"I know you better than you can ever imagine", the raven snarled with low, husky voice before locking his lips against Naruto's.

Blood was rushing in his ears as Sasuke pressed his tongue against Naruto's, the surprised blonde pushing back and soon tangling his tongue with Sasuke's into a twisted dance. The raven couldn't stay in the control of the kiss for long, Naruto's tongue invading his mouth and mapping it almost possessively, the blue eyes being shut tight. It was so similar yet so different to their previous kisses. This time, Sasuke didn't feel cold, the lips on his own didn't leave him feeling frostbitten, no. Heat was rushing through him, making his toes curl as he tasted the familiar taste on his tongue. It was exactly like he had guessed, the taste of spices and ramen being there, so much stronger now, and Naruto's hand that pressed against his chest was warm too, almost too warm for him, making his body shiver.

The taste was almost intoxicating, trying to lock him to the kiss for longer, but finally Sasuke pulled back, his mind screaming at him.

Naruto blinked his hazy eyes, looking like he was waking up from a deep dream. His movements were a bit clumsy as he tried to wrap his hand behind Sasuke's neck to pull him to another kiss.

He didn't succeed. The moment Sasuke realized what was happening he practically jumped up from his chair, grabbing his back and backing away, making Naruto stumble and almost fall out of his chair.  
"Sa... Sasuke?" In a moment the blonde was up again, reaching out for the other but getting nothing.

"I have to go", Sasuke snapped, his voice a lot more unsure than he would've wanted as he spun around, hurrying out of the dark library. He ignored Naruto calling after him and another crash as the blonde collided with the chair Sasuke had used, swearing as he hit some part of him again. He didn't listen as Naruto shouted something after him, the library door slamming shut after him and hiding him from the man that had been a ghost. His heart was racing and he sped up, down the hallway, the darkness hugging him from every side. Sasuke knew he had gone too far, again, but he couldn't blame himself for it. He only knew that he had to get out, no matter the storm.

What he didn't know, however, was how Naruto fell to the floor after hearing the slam of the door, clutching his shirt over his chest as if he was in pain, the bright eyes shut tight again as he whispered the words he had tried to shout.  
"I know you do, Sasuke. I know."

The weather outside was even worse than it had looked like. The wind hit Sasuke as soon as he opened the door, whipping him mercilessly and throwing sharp snowflakes to his face, forcing the raven to squint his eyes and cover his face with his arm as he made his way to the parking lot through the raging snow storm. It was impossible to see his surroundings clearly, it was just white everywhere as if someone had pulled a white blanket over the earth. There was only several inches of snow on the ground and Sasuke almost slipped as he stepped on ice on the road, cursing aloud as he continued, digging the car keys from his pocket.

His car was covered with snow and for a moment Sasuke considered wiping it clean, but the idea was abandoned as another hard gust of wind bit straight through his clothes, making him shake from cold. The raven opened the door to his car and jumped inside, closing it as quickly as he could. Regardless of his efforts some snow still got into his car and he spent a moment trying to wipe it off the seat. When he was done, Sasuke leaned back and closed his eyes, listening to the raging wind.

In a way, it was calming his nerves. The wind was making noise outside, but other than that it was completely quiet. It was impossible for him to hear anything but the storm, even the sound of his own breathing got muffled by the wind. In the car it was cold but Sasuke didn't care, the feeling of isolation embracing him and making him want to forget everything that was out there. Everything that mattered was inside this car, in the middle of the storm, and he didn't have to think of anything else.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Sasuke reached for the radio and turned it on.

_"Stumble into you, is all i ever do..  
My memory's hazy..and I'm afraid to be alone.  
Tear us in two, is all it's gonna do.."_

Quietly Sasuke listened, breathing heavily and still keeping his eyes closed. Somehow the lyrics made him think of himself, his situation with Naruto. Maybe it truly was him, the one that was actually tearing them apart. He was clinging to his memory of the ghost of Naruto, even while knowing that it would change nothing. He had wanted to keep Naruto to himself, treasuring the memory, and that didn't... It wasn't real. Maybe he should just let go, accept the fact that the Naruto he had known didn't exist anymore. It didn't matter...

_"As the headache fades, this house is no longer a home  
Don't give up on the dream,  
Don't give up on the wanting,  
And everything that's true..."_

Sasuke gritted his teeth together, his hands clenching into fists. Why was it so hard? They had been together for only a couple of months, and it had been... To Naruto, they had been just friends. Nothing more, ad he couldn't... Sasuke knew he couldn't expect anything more from the real, living and breathing Naruto, but it didn't make it any easier. He had let himself fall too deep and he didn't know how to get out.

_"Because I want you..."_

Loud banging outside the passenger seat's door shook Sasuke out of his thoughts, and he was startled to realize that his eyes felt moist and itchy. Rubbing the quickly, the raven turned to look at the window, almost jumping as he saw Naruto staring at him through it. Even through the glass he could see that the young man was shaking from the cold, the blue eyes wide and begging as he glanced down, shouting something Sasuke couldn't catch. His heart clenched and he rushed to turn off the radio before giving in to Naruto's demands and opening the door for him.

The blonde jumped in and slammed the door shut behind him, immediately starting to rub his arms.  
"Geez, what are you doing, sitting here? Turn on the car, it's ice cold!"

Nothing happened, and finally Naruto turned to look at the other man, a frown on his face.  
"Oh, c'mon, stop sulking! I have something else to say to you but I can't do it if I'm freezing to death!"

Sasuke couldn't help but to flash a dark smirk at Naruto's words, but finally he complied and turned on the heater, his car's engine starting to purr quietly.

It took them a moment to adjust. Sasuke was tense and clearly uncomfortable, staring out of his windows at the endless white, while Naruto wiggled and squirmed on his seat trying to get warm again. It wasn't a comfortable situation for either of them, but Naruto didn't seem to realize how awkward Sasuke actually felt, his blue eyes looking just innocently annoyed as he occasionally glanced at the brooding raven, a sigh escaping his lips as he finally settled down, holding his hands still in his lap. His eyes narrowed and turned away from the raven, a frown crossing the handsome face.

"Sasuke..."

The addressed man didn't react in any way, his eyes being glued to the scenery outside.

"I... I remember you."

The raven tensed, his nails digging into his palms hard enough to break the skin. What was Naruto talking about?

"I remember... I was with you, in your place... I watched your TV, all those James Bond movies..." Naruto let out a dry chuckle, falling silent for a moment.  
"And I used up all your ramen... Just for sniffing."

He fell silent for a moment, clearly thinking about something.

"You were always so silent when you slept, a few times I thought you were dead... And then I realized that it would've been a bit too ironic. And I... It was the kiss, I think, I should've kissed you earlier, maybe that would've helped me to remember..." Naruto seemed lost in thought, his eyes staring blankly at his hands.

Sasuke was holding his breath, silently begging Naruto to continue but not daring to say a word. Carefully he moved his hands together and pinched the skin of his index finger, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. So caught up in the moment he was that he almost didn't feel the pain but it was there, proving that he was still awake and Naruto was truly here, talking and... Sasuke's breath hitched as a sudden thought invaded his mind and he turned to look at Naruto, reaching out to him.  
"Naruto, could I..."

He didn't need to finish his sentence, Naruto was there already, taking his hand and holding it between his own. The blonde gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, his eyes now warm and encouraging.  
"Don't worry, I'm not a ghost." A smile broke to his face as he shook his head, quickly glancing out again before returning to watching Sasuke.

The said raven suddenly felt very stupid and he turned his eyes away, feeling like a timid school girl. He just didn't have it in him to pull his hand away from the warm, tight grip and he let it remain like that, looking just a little bit embarrassed.

"And then..." The hold Naruto had of Sasuke's hand tightened even more and he tugged at the hand demandingly.

Taken by surprise, Sasuke was forced to lean closer and his other hand quickly pressed to the edge of Naruto's seat to help him keep his balance. The other's face was suddenly very close to his and the raven gulped, his eyes dropping momentarily to Naruto's lips. Something inside him jumped when he saw a pink tongue coming out to moist them.

"I remember our kisses..." The last word had barely left Naruto's mouth before his mouth pressed to Sasuke's, only for a quick, testing kiss.  
"And the last one... You were freezing, I felt it even if you didn't, I could feel the cold creeping through you and you didn't care, and I was so afraid of hurting you... I'm sorry I couldn't kiss you properly back then."

Sasuke couldn't do anything but stare, his whole world having stopped for a moment. He couldn't think of anything but Naruto, his lips still burning from the kiss, and slowly he just blinked, anxiously waiting for Naruto to continue, to do anything to break the heavy silence. He didn't like the look in the blue eyes, the worry and the apology that were there, but he didn't know what to do to make them disappear.

"I wanted to, you have to believe me, but I couldn't, I was so sure I would kill you accidentally if we went any further than that, and then... Why did you do that with Kiba?"

Sasuke's eyes widened a tiny bit at that. Somehow he had a weird feeling of experiencing the same thing all over again, being scolded about choosing Kiba, but this time there was something different. Naruto didn't seem to care that it was Kiba in particular, he sounded almost... Jealous? Something very painful yet somehow intoxicating stirred inside Sasuke, feeding his curiosity and pushing him on to ask for more.

"I mean... I thought... I thought we had... And then you... And now you've just been running away from me, not that I blame you for that, but..." Naruto's voice was laced with confusion and he let go of Sasuke's hand, spreading his hands helplessly in the little space he had. For a moment he looked like he would continue off with his rant, but under Sasuke's stare, he seemed to grow more confident, the cocky grin so familiar to the raven crossed Naruto's face again and he raised his gaze to meet Sasuke's, his eyes sparkling. It wasn't all that real, all that confidence, but he was trying.  
"You know what, Uchiha? I don't really care, because now I'll make up for that kiss."

His hands were suddenly everywhere, pulling Sasuke closer by the hair and into the most amazing kiss the raven had ever received.

It was nothing like in romantic novels; there were no explosions or fireworks behind his eyelids and he didn't feel like he was going to faint, not until the fact that he'd stopped breathing started to take effect. It wasn't romantic in any way, yet it was so real and full of emotion that it took Sasuke's breath away and made his toes curl tightly. It took him so completely that Sasuke didn't even think about complaining when Naruto's strong hands pulled him very difficultly over to the passenger seat and to the other's lap, the hands immediately moving under his shirt as soon as he got there.

Suddenly his skin felt hot and the hands traveling up his body made small jolts of excitement course up his spine, his whole body shuddering. He could feel the body below him go tense and soon enough Naruto started slowly rolling his hips against the raven's, the situation suddenly turning a lot deeper and much more erotic. Sasuke gripped the blond hair, throwing himself into another kiss while letting his hips match Naruto's moves. He would've wanted to feel guilty for this or at least scold himself for giving in to easily, for letting Naruto in so easily, but he couldn't. This was more than he has ever hoped to get, and after that unfortunate night when he had moaned out Naruto's name, he hadn't wanted anything more than Naruto's touch.

There was just one thing bothering him.

With all the strength he muster, Sasuke pushed back, breaking the kiss. For a moment he only stared at Naruto's face, the moist and swollen lips and the half-lidded, greedy eyes, and almost gave in to the temptation again. It was his uncomfortable position that finally brought him back to his senses and he shook his head, ignoring the confused look in Naruto's eyes.  
"Not here, dobe... It won't take long to drive to my place. I refuse to stain my car with your bodily fluids." That was, of course, teasing, and the lusty grin Naruto gave him was filled with the same element.

"You should worry about your own... Most of my fluids will happily stay inside you anyway."

With the lightest blush on his face Sasuke climbed over to the driver seat, jolting from surprise as Naruto shamelessly groped his ass. He sent a glare at the other's direction before sitting down and starting the car, his body still all warm and excited as he carefully exited the parking lot, clenching the steering wheel. Due to the storm, there was visibility of only around 20 meters and even with his body going overdrive, the raven wasn't going to take any risks. This had been dramatic enough without another car crash, really, and that was why he kept his eyes on the road, refusing to look at Naruto to make sure he wouldn't be distracted. It was difficult, with his body craving to be back in the blonde's hold, to be touched and kissed, but he forced himself to carry on.

Naruto was obviously feeling the tension as well. He was squirming on his seat and changing positions, trying to find the most comfortable one but failing miserably. Without even noticing it he kept gently palming his crotch, glancing at Sasuke every now and then. It wasn't his fault that he was stuck in a car with this hot bastard, and he refused not to take all out of it.

"Don't you even think about jacking off in my car!"

"But I wasn't-!"

"Now, but you were planning to. Put your hands somewhere else!" Sasuke immediately regretted those words, because as soon as they had left his lips, a warm hand appeared to his thigh, curiously massaging him and threatening to move closer to his privates. His whole body tensed up and he knew the bulge in his pants was growing, the latter being soon enough proved by Naruto and a low chuckle he left out.

"Glad to see you're enjoying this", the blonde purred and Sasuke swatted his hand away, glaring at him.

"Idiot! I'm trying to keep us on the road. Do something else."

Naruto pouted for a moment before sighing and leaning back, apparently trying to relax a little bit.  
"Mind if I turn on the radio?"

Sasuke shook his head, already having forgotten that he had a CD playing there. He watched Naruto's hand as it moved closer to the radio and pushed a button, low music filling the car.

_"You don't want to hurt me,  
But see how deep the bullet lies.  
Unaware that I'm tearing you asunder... _

Naruto listened quietly for a moment, tapping his thigh with his fingers. His head was cocked to the side as he listened to the lyrics, humming quietly with the song.  
"You're such an emo", he murmured with voice so low that Sasuke almost didn't catch the words.

A frown crossed his face and he opened his mouth, ready to defend Kate Bush as well as the Placebo's cover they were now listening, but Naruto silenced him with a careless wave of hand.

"Just kidding, bastard. This is a good song, yeah... 'm not a fan of the cover, though... Or maybe I just never understood it."

Naruto seemed to be talking to himself again so Sasuke didn't bother to respond, his eyes still on the road.

_"C'mon, baby, c'mon, c'mon, darling,  
Let me steal this moment from you now."_

The hand on Sasuke's thigh had appeared again, this time with the fingers dancing shamelessly on his groin. He didn't bother telling Naruto to take it away, knowing that it would be wasted effort anyway. He did, however, give Naruto a disapproving glance, getting only a dazzling smile in return.

And that was why he failed to notice the swerving truck coming towards them from a crossing, way too fast and out of control.

TBC

* * *

A/N: This chapter truly made me realize that I have a thing for stupid cliché cliffhangers.


	4. Thanatophobia

**Warning:** A lemon in this chap! Also, a ghost fic somewhat naturally includes a death.  
**Disclaimer:** I'm just borrowing the characters a little from the brilliant Masashi Kishimoto. The lyrics in this chapter are from Placebo's songs and the copyrights belong to their righteous holders.

* * *

For Didi

* * *

Sasuke blinked, rolling over to his back. The bed he was lying on was oddly soft, a lot softer than his own but he didn't feel like complaining, everything being just a big mess. His head felt a bit heavy and fuzzy and he couldn't figure out why, and he had hard time trying to focus his eyes on anything. The raven shifted a little again, frowning when his hand met something solid and warm right next to him. Turning to look at his side, he could make out a figure of a hand and an arm, and when he blinked, the image became instantly clearer, clear enough to tell him whose hand that was.

"Naruto..." His voice was barely above a whisper as he turned to look up, at the softly smiling familiar face above him. Sasuke's eyes slowly traveled lower, taking in Naruto's position and clothing – or the lack of it. The blonde was in his boxers and positioned on all fours on the top of him, the blue eyes shining happily as he looked down at Sasuke, leaning closer as soon as he realized that Sasuke was awake.

"It's pretty rude to fall asleep in the middle of action", Naruto scolded gently, pressing their foreheads together. He lowered his upper body, his elbows pressing into the mattress as he slid both his hands into Sasuke's hair, holding him gently.

Sasuke could feel an irritating blush creeping up his neck and he scowled at nothing in particular, trying to regain his composure. It was hard, trying to think coherently with Naruto so close to him, and eventually he gave up and just turned to look at Naruto's eyes, searching them for something he didn't even know he was looking for.

Naruto chuckled, tilting his head to a side and giving Sasuke a soft kiss, tasting his lips curiously. The grip that he had of Sasuke's hair tightened and he tilted the other's head back a bit to get an easier access to his lips.

Sasuke smirked a little as the small kiss broke and Naruto pulled back, smiling down at him. The moment was far from awkward, both of them being completely comfortable with each other, but finally Sasuke brought his leg up and pressed his knee carefully against Naruto's groin, nudging him teasingly.  
"Shouldn't we continue from where we left of?" he asked, bringing his hand up to Naruto's neck and pulling him down again for another kiss.

Naruto didn't have any complaints, his tongue eagerly pushing into Sasuke's mouth. He got rid of Sasuke's knee near his crotch and instead pressed against the raven, groaning encouragingly into the kiss.

Sasuke found it easy to play along, his hips rising to meet Naruto's. He was already getting aroused, a familiar warmth spreading through his body and reaching every inch of him, making him immediately crave for more. His hands traveled down Naruto's back, enjoying the feeling of bare skin under his finger, and absentmindedly he wondered how different it would've been if they had done this when Naruto still was a ghost. The thought made him smirk and Naruto caught the look on his face, arching a brow.

"What's so funny?" he asked, starting to grind against Sasuke. The movement was deliciously slow, making both of them shudder as their hardening arousals pressed against each other with every slow roll of hips.

Sasuke shook his head, unable to speak as he kept matching Naruto's moves to get more of the sweet, torturing friction. He hadn't paid attention to his clothing earlier, but now that it started to be on the way he realized that he was in a perfectly same state of undress as Naruto, only a pair of boxers covering his body. Such a small piece of clothing it was, but it was already proving to be too much, and Sasuke squirmed uncomfortably, spreading his legs a little. It was hard to do or even think about anything with Naruto rolling his hips like that, the blonde's lips now ravishing his neck. He was sure that there would be bruises afterwards, but no matter how much he'd hated them before, Sasuke knew already that he wouldn't mind getting a lovebite or two from Naruto.

A hand left his hair and moved down to his chest, and breath hitched in Sasuke's throat as Naruto pinched his nipple, his back arching off the bed with the sensation. His lips parted and his tongue darted out to moisten them, a hand returning to Naruto's hair to make him feel like he had at least a little bit of control left over the situation.

Naruto, however, didn't really care about his attempts to take the reins. His tanned hand was already sliding lower and soon enough Sasuke felt a soft tug in the dark curls on his lower stomach, a low growl escaping his lips. Now that Naruto was so close to it, his cock was aching to be touched, pressing against the restricting material of his boxers and twitching a little when Naruto lifted his hips and pressed his hand on the bulge in Sasuke's boxers.

"Impatient?" he asked, teasing, and started to slowly palm the raven through the cloth, making him moan low from his throat. A grin spread to the handsome face and knowing that it was making Sasuke crazy, he added the pressure and then moved his hand back to Sasuke's lower stomach, letting his finger slip under the waistband of the boxers.

Sasuke held his breath, waiting for Naruto to continue. When nothing happened, he let out another growl and pulled at Naruto's hair, forcing him to look up again.  
"Get on with it", he snarled, his hips thrusting up on their own accord. The raven hated being teased like that, and for some reason it made it even more unbearable to know that he had almost lost Naruto once already.

Maybe the blonde finally understood the logic behind his actions or perhaps it was the same emotion driving him forward, but either way he just nodded, grinning a little. He didn't need to say anything, his actions spoke louder than any words could have done as he moved his hand and his fingers met the base of Sasuke's cock, making the raven gasp and thrust up his hips again.

Sasuke almost cried out as the hand moved to swiftly stroke his arousal, strong ans steady, up and down, his thighs shaking as he tried to hold himself still. Easier said than done, and he found himself gripping Naruto's hair tight enough to hurt the other, but Naruto didn't complain. Instead, when Sasuke looked up, the blue eyes were shining down at him, looking just happy and excited.

"I don't need any preparing", the raven snarled when Naruto's fingers finally slipped to his entrance, poking the muscles to make them loosen up and let his fingers in.

Only a faint chuckle was given as an answer and two fingers pushed inside at once, finally drawing a lewd moan from Sasuke's lips. The pale body shook and Naruto found it fascinating how the muscles around his fingers were both sucking him in and trying to push him out at the same time, his own arousal aching in his boxers. It was that sensation that drove Naruto forward, his fingers shamelessly probing around inside Sasuke, making the raven writhe and moan again as they brushed again a certain gland inside him.

Sasuke gasped for air, clinging to the sheets hard enough to make his knuckles go white, and tried to fight back to the overwhelming feeling of pleasure.  
"Na-Naruto... It's..." Why couldn't he form two words in a row? His mind was too hazy, almost too much even for the situation. How could he tell Naruto that it was too much, that he had to move on or the raven might cum all over himself before they were even halfway through?

Luckily he didn't have to. Naruto seemed to understand him just fine without words and the third finger accompanied the first two in a moment, the pale body tensing momentarily. Sasuke let out a low hiss, biting his lip while trying to relax. He knew it didn't hurt all that much, he shouldn't be a baby about it, and after shifting his hips a little he found a better position for them, letting Naruto do whatever he wanted.

With the fingers inside him, Sasuke finally gave up the control and just let himself enjoy, the pleasure still flooding over him after Naruto had pulled out, leaving him panting and shaking on the bed. The blonde had this certain bright grin on his face, the look in his eyes making Sasuke's arousal ache even worse than it had done before and he found himself stroking his cock slowly, almost torturingly so.

Naruto leaned down, trailing soft kisses up from Sasuke's stomach to his neck and finally to the lips, smiling down at the raven.  
"Ready?" he asked, his smile widening when the only answer he got was an impatient frown and a tug at his hair. He gave Sasuke a quick kiss on the lips before taking a comfortable position between his legs, still smiling, although this time the smile was a little odd.

A sound of distant beeping caught Sasuke's attention just when Naruto was moving his legs, spreading them for more space. A frown crossed his face and he glanced at his side, trying to make out the source of the noise. It sounded oddly familiar but he couldn't wrap his mind around it, and he never got a chance to delve into the matter as the head of Naruto's arousal pressed against his entrance, making him tense up again.

"Don't mind, S'uke, that's just... cell phone", Naruto murmured, reaching for Sasuke's cock before he thrust in, stealing Sasuke's breath completely.

The cellphone kept ringing on the background and Sasuke might've found it distracting if his ass hadn't suddenly been full of Naruto's thick, pulsing arousal. He bit down to his lower lip, reaching to grasp the blonde's shoulders to hold himself in a better position. His efforts appeared to be futile as Naruto leaned backwards at the same time, grinning down at the raven.

"Don't get so greedy, S'uke. I'm in control here." The comment was accompanied with a cocky chuckle and Naruto started to slowly stroke Sasuke's cock, drawing another very reluctant moan from the said man. The skilled hand was working wonders on the hard organ, effectively distracting Sasuke from whatever pain he might've felt when Naruto finally started moving, his thrusts slow and somehow curious, almost just testing.

Snarling low from his throat when Naruto pressed against the ring of muscles demanding more space, Sasuke shifted a little again, trying to get Naruto to reach his prostate. Didn't help, because the next thing he felt were the blonde's balls against his skin as the other was buried to the hilt again, making the raven's frustration just grow. It was not enough, no matter how good this felt, Naruto was being way too careful... Pushing himself up just a little, Sasuke reached up and grabbed two fistfuls of the soft blond hair, pulling Naruto lower towards himself.  
"Stop acting like I'm going to break", he growled, raking his hands down Naruto's back, pleased to hear the hiss his nails drew out.

"I'm not, so stop complaining."

"Oh, yes you are!" That blissful haze that had been clouding Sasuke's thoughts a while ago was almost completely gone by now, being replaced with anger and impatience. He couldn't understand why Naruto had suddenly started acting so differently, treating him like a fragile girl instead of the man he was. He hadn't said or done anything to provoke such actions, so something else had to be wrong... The cell phone?  
"If it's the phone, go answer that goddamn call!" That would make Sasuke very pissed, but he didn't want to continue like this either. He just wanted to get off, they could do it sweet and slow later.

A troubled look crossed Naruto's face for half a second and his eyes seemed to darken, and a feral grin stretched his lips as he leaned down, not reacting in any way to the red trails on his back.  
"If that's what you want", he whispered, giving Sasuke no warning as he lifted the raven's legs over his shoulders and leaned down to lock his lips with Sasuke's, forcing the man to bend almost twofold, his knees pressing close to his head.

The kiss was rough and unforgiving, Naruto's tongue plundering his mouth and leaving him feeling ravished and exposed, his lip bleeding from a bite the blond had delivered during the kiss. And it was exactly how Sasuke wanted it. This time, there was no hesitation in Naruto's moves as the other started to move his hips, thrusting in and out in a fast, frantic rhythm. Moving his body along Naruto's, the raven buried his hands into Naruto's hair as his lips were occupied with another kiss. A loud moan emitted from his throat when Naruto's cock finally brushed against his prostate, and the blonde took that as a sign to keep what he was doing, his every thrust abusing the gland and making the raven squirm and moan.

Yes, exactly how he wanted it.

Having waited for so long, Sasuke found it hard to hold back. He tried to stay still, refusing to cum before Naruto if only to save his damned pride satisfied, even when his body was practically begging for release. His fingers were tangled in Naruto's hair and his eyes were shut, mouth fallen open to help with the ragged panting that was his breathing at the moment. And finally all it took was just one hard thrust that hit his prostate directly and a stroke for his cock and he was cumming, staining his stomach and chest and Naruto's hand, a loud cry escaping his lips. His vision had went blank from the force of the orgasm, no clear through crossing his mind. The only thing there was was an image of Naruto's face, of how he looked looming over Sasuke, grinning wickledy. Through the pleasurable haze he could hear Naruto moan his name as something wet filled his insides and started dripping out when Naruto immediately pulled out.

Sasuke reached out to take Naruto's hand, to tell him not to go away when they weren't in a hurry to go anywhere but the blonde climbed off the bed, looking a bit sad as he shook his head.  
"Sorry, S'uke, I can't stay now... But I'll be back, okay? I'll... be seeing you. Now go to sleep again, you need it."

Sasuke frowned, opening his mouth to say something but never having a chance to do so. Only now he noticed that the beeping of the cell phone had stopped and when he turned to point that out to Naruto, the blonde was not there. Sasuke scoffed, glaring at the wall. How did Naruto dare to leave him like that? He should've at least said a proper goodbye and not just disappear like the damn ghost he'd been. Oh well, he could... Do something about it later. Now he felt suddenly very tired, his eyelids heavy and refusing to go up again. He could take a nap now and then go to scold his... lover.

Sasuke woke up again when a ray of light hit his eyes, his body feeling deliciously heavy and relaxed. It was warm in the bed and he was feeling utterly comfortable under the covers, his mind still going on and on about Naruto. He kept remembering the blonde's touches and the way he had kissed him, the feeling of warm lips on his own. Slowly he ran his tongue over his lower lip, wishing that he could still feel Naruto there. It was futile, but with that action he started to notice that something was wrong.

The air tasted weird. It wasn't the same as it usually was at home, something in the smell making him shiver. And that was when he realized that the odd beeping was still there. Now it was a bit louder than before and somehow sharper, demanding his attention. It didn't even sound like a cell phone anymore and for a moment Sasuke wondered if Naruto had been mistaken and it was actually an alarm clock left on.

"Thank god you're awake!"

A sudden female voice startled Sasuke out of his musing and he finally opened his eyes, only seeing white. With a hint of a panic he lifted his hand to rub his eyes, dreading the possibility of having suddenly gone blind, but then a warm hand was there, holding his own down.

"Sorry, mister Uchiha, you really shouldn't move right now, not before we have checked you..."

Sasuke heard another beep and he turned to look at the woman on his side, staring at him blankly until the situation started to become clearer. She was rather young, probably around 30, and she was wearing something light blue, or maybe green, Sasuke couldn't quite make out the colors of the shirt. His eyes still didn't feel to be working correctly, or maybe it was just the bright light and the way the woman kept moving in his sight, making him feel dizzy.

"You were unconscious for a while, we were afraid you might fall into coma, so it's a good thing you're awake. No, don't try to talk just yet!"

Sasuke snapped his eyes shut and gave the woman, the _nurse_, as deathly glare as he could. Now that his body was finally awakening from the comatose state as well, he started to realize how not good it felt. It was still heavy, but in a wrong way. Breathing felt painful as if something in his chest was broken and his head started spinning every time he tried to move it, making him so nauseous he thought he would throw up all over himself at any moment. The nurse didn't seem to notice and he was glad for it, not needing to be fuzzed over. But counting out all that, there was still something so horribly wrong. The raven cleared his throat, finding it painfully sore, and tried to speak, his voice being rough and hoarse.  
"Could you tell m-"

His attempt to get answers was shot down immediately when a blond female doctor rushed inside. And from that moment, everything became too frantic for Sasuke to try and interrupt the doctor. She was all over him, injecting some medicine for the pain into his arm and doing all kinds of tests, everything passing too fast for Sasuke's fuzzy head. The nurses didn't remember his started question either, and slowly he fell back to the dream-like state, the meds kicking in and making him drowsy.

Yet still the question was there, nagging at the back of his head like a tiny devil version of him, one of those that were often drawn to sit on ones shoulder. He couldn't shake of the cold feeling, the premonition looming over him like a huge hand waiting to strangle him. Naruto had been here just a moment ago, and even when it felt painfully clear, Sasuke refused to accept that he'd seen a dream. It couldn't have been one, it had been too vivid, too real... He was still aching from the part of his neck where Naruto had bit him. It had been real, it couldn't have been just a dream. But if that was the case, then where was Naruto?

Sasuke managed to peel his eyes open again a couple of hours later, his head feeling nicely cloudy. It was so pleasant, to not think about anything for a moment and just let himself be still and rest. Thoughts floated around in his head without any meaning, nothing making sense as he watched the white ceiling and tried to get used to the scent of the hospital. The quiet beeping was still there, coming from his side, but Sasuke had by now figured that it was one of the machines that were supervising his condition.

Thinking about the machines Sasuke was finally pulled back to the conscious world, his head still feeling heavy. And as soon as his mind started to function like it should, Naruto's image invaded his mind, making him squeeze his eye shut in sudden pain. He still didn't know anything, and he would've desperately wanted someone to tell him what was going on with the blonde. The raven knew that Naruto had taken the stronger hit, the truck coming from his side, but he knew the other hadn't died, he had heard Naruto scream before everything went black, and dead men didn't scream. Naruto had to be alive, but for some reason, there was no-one to tell him that.

Slowly, with his hand shaking, Sasuke reached for the emergency button to summon a nurse and then patiently waited until the same woman entered the room, looking mildly scared of something as she watched Sasuke's figure, trying to see what was wrong.

"What... Are you in pain? Do you want stronger medication?" She asked, walking closer to the bed and carefully pressing her hand on Sasuke's forehead. The puzzled look on her face just deepened when Sasuke shook his head and closed his eyes again, suddenly feeling almost scared to ask it.

"Is my-"

"Oh, what's that?" The nurse interrupted him again, gently pressing her fingers on Sasuke's neck, examining the skin.

Sasuke shivered, the woman holding her fingers on the exactly same spot where Naruto had left one of the hickeys. He could feel the bruise as she added the pressure.

"Where did you get that? You didn't hit yourself to anything, did you? I hope you don't have an internal bleeding we missed..."

Sasuke shook his head again, annoyed at the nurse's tone. Couldn't she see that it was a goddamn hickey and not a sign of any internal bleeding? What was wrong with her? Seriously, was she expecting him to tell her everything that had happened with Naruto just moments ago? Right now the whole thing made sense in Sasuke's head, the meds kicking in again, and he opened his mouth to explain.

"It's a hickey, idiot", he murmured, staring at the nurse. Speaking hurt his throat but he knew he had to continue,the nurse now staring at him like he'd gone mad.  
"It's from my... boyfriend. He visited me."

The fell silent for a moment and then the nurse slowly shook her head, taking Sasuke's hand between her own ones.  
"You must be mistaken, mister, there has been no-one visiting you after the accident, you've been under very tight supervising. There's no way anyone could've visited you. But just in case... What does he look like, your boyfriend? So we can let him in if he comes to see you."

Sasuke felt oddly proud at hearing someone call Naruto his boyfriend, even if he wasn't sure the title fit them just yet.  
"He is... Very blond and quite tan, and..." He had to stop to cough lightly, the nurse immediately offering him some water.  
"He has these... Three whisker marks on each cheek, like a cat or a fox. And he's..." Sasuke's voice fell as he noticed the stunned look on the woman's face.  
"What?"

When the woman didn't answer, Sasuke felt blood drain from his face when something cold suddenly clenched around his heart. What did that look mean? Was Naruto seriously that badly hurt? Why couldn't they tell him?  
"What is it? Tell me! You have to tell me!"  
The machine next to him started to beep just a little bit louder and faster, making his head ache.

The nurse leaned a little bit closer, stroking the back of his hand with a sad look in his eyes.

Suddenly Sasuke didn't want to hear it, he didn't want to hear anything. He knew it, he knew what was coming but it couldn't be true, it couldn't, Naruto had been here with him, he even had a hickey, yet still she kept leaning closer, her lips moving as they formed words, words Sasuke didn't want to hear. He leaned back, tried to scramble away from the woman, only to be held still by her hands. And then he could hear her voice, hear the words that had been muted by something a moment ago, and his heart felt like it was ripped into two by strong, ice cold hands.

"...I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, they couldn't do anything..."

No matter how much he had prayed and begged, no matter how many hours he had lain on the hospital bed reassuring himself that they were wrong, that he was been lied to, that it was actually the truck driver that was dead, Sasuke still couldn't push facing the truth away for long. His injuries had been minor save for a couple of broken ribs and the hit on the head that had caused him to fall unconscious in the first place, and the doctor said she didn't need to keep him there for long. That he was good enough to go to the funeral if he wanted.

The couple of days after the crash had been the worst ones in his life. He couldn't get his mind off Naruto, and he'd spent hours rubbing at the hickey on his neck, watching it via small mirror he'd been given. The doctor had finally decided that the bruise was nothing serious and it had been left alone, much to Sasuke's relief. He would've never let them to try and get it fade. It was a proof, his proof that Naruto had actually been there, the only way for him to cling to the strand of hope. Somewhere in the back of his mind the raven kept wishing that the next time he woke up, Naruto's ghost would be looming over him like he had done before, but it never happened. It was different now, they said Naruto was dead, not in a coma.

Sasuke couldn't help but to laugh at the dark irony of fate. Maybe Naruto hadn't been meant to survive from the first car crash and the reaper had come to collect his soul now, the blonde had been given just a bit more time. A few times Sasuke had caught himself hoping that Naruto wouldn't have survived the first crash either so he wouldn't have to suffer the loss of the man now, but he shooed those thoughts away every time, knowing that he'd always rather keep the now painful memories than have no memories at all.

He wasn't the only one thinking about the crash either. Kiba had visited him two days after he'd woken up, and not much had been said. The brunette had been a bit too eager to tell him that no-one blamed him for Naruto's death, and when he had left Sasuke had quietly thought that Kiba wasn't much better a liar than his late friend.

In the morning of the day of the funeral, Sasuke stood in the middle of his living room, the doctor having let him home the day before. His chest was aching and not just because of his ribs, and he didn't know what to do. He had decided not to go to the funeral, knowing that his place wasn't there. To everyone else, he was just the random guy that hadn't even known Naruto but had killed him nevertheless. He would be blamed, if not in their words then it would show in their eyes, and he couldn't take it. Sasuke didn't want to see Naruto's coffin either, he didn't want to see a proof that Naruto was truly gone and would never gone back, in any form.

Moving slowly like an old man, Sasuke walked over to his stereos, blindly picking up a CD from a pile next to it. The police had brought him the little that had been saved from his car, mainly just CD's and a pair of gloves, and he hadn't had the energy to sort out the discs just yet. Without bothering to look, Sasuke pressed the play button, hitting shuffle to make it a little more surprising.

_"It doesn't hurt me.  
You wanna feel how it feels?  
You wanna know, know that it doesn't hurt me? "_

The young man tensed, memories flashing through his mind in an instant. Naruto sitting next to him, smiling at him, laughing at him and with him, Naruto's warm hand on his thigh, the hospital bed and the feeling of the blonde on the top of him, the weight and warmth of the strong, living man. Naruto's voice when he had finally confessed that he remembered, and the joy that had spread through the raven at that moment, the hope that had been aroused by those simple words. His lips burned and his chest felt like it was exploding, the pain getting just worse when he brought a hand to his chest to clutch the fabric of his shirt violently as if he was trying to claw his heart out. A loud sob tore up from his throat and Sasuke blinked, reaching for the stereos to stop it, to stop the music, the tormenting song that would forever haunt him.

_"And if I only could,  
Make a deal with God,  
And get him to swap our places..."_

Sasuke's finger hovered over the stop button for a brief moment and then his hand fell, along with the rest of his body. Then he crumbled to the floor and curled up, the weak hands holding onto whatever they could.

_"If I only could, oh..." _

The song finally faded out and Sasuke slowly let go of the carpet, his fingers feeling numb. With shaking hand he pressed the eject button, not wanting to hear another song from this band. He couldn't help it, feeling like Naruto was still there, his arms around the raven's shoulders, but when Sasuke turned to look there was nothing. He was imagining things, imagining things that he still wished to exist, and he knew he should've stopped. He knew, but he couldn't. Not yet.

The CD fell to the floor and rolled around for a moment before stopping and resting silently as Sasuke watched it. Even though he had just stopped the music player, the silence felt suddenly suffocating, being too loud to his ears. In the complete silence it was so easy to imagine things, the raven could swear he'd just heard Naruto's voice whisper his name from behind him. It was impossible, but it had sounded so real, the hair on his arms was standing up from a sudden cold shiver that ran through his body.

Sasuke held out his hand, trying to grab another CD to stop the voices in his head, the voices that kept whispering his name, all of them sounding like Naruto, but his hand fell to the top of the pile of CDs like it had been shot, the pile scattering all over the floor. The raven didn't even notice. The voice inside his head kept getting louder and louder, his temples throbbing like his head was doing a weird countdown. Sasuke covered his ears with his hands, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to block out the noise, knowing that it was impossible to repel because it was coming from inside him.

Sasuke... Sasuke... Sasuke! S'uke! Sasuke... They were never stopping, Naruto's voice repeating his name again and again.  
"No...", he whispered, afraid that he might be going crazy, and curled into a tight roll, trying to swat away the source of the noise like he was attempting to hit a mosquito.  
"No... Go away... Go away!" Sasuke's voice was weak and confused, a little bit raspy for having been unused for a while. His eyes shut even tighter as the voice kept growing, still repeating his name like a mantra.  
"No! Stop!" Sasuke felt like he was spinning, the voice sucking him in and making him feel like he was falling, falling down, to the very bottom of his own mind.  
"STOP!"

And silence came. Suddenly the noise inside his head stopped and the room became quiet, eerily so. He couldn't hear anything, not even his own breathing, not sounds from other apartments or outside. No cars honking or children screaming, nothing. And most importantly, not the horrible voice calling his name like a broken record. Not until...

"Sasuke. Open your eyes." The voice was quiet yet this time very clear and coming directly from outside. The dark eyes flashed wide open and Sasuke found himself staring at Naruto's face.

A mass of emotions flooded over him but he couldn't sort out any single one of them, his heart jumping in sudden joy and surprise. He could feel his eyes lighting up and carefully he reached up, attempting to touch Naruto's cheek as they lay on the floor facing each other.  
"Naruto..."

Like he had expected, his hand went straight through the man. But this time, he didn't feel the cold. He didn't sense the water-like substance, he couldn't feel anything. The raven tried again, the hope inside withering again and crumbling down when Naruto shook his head. The ghost tried to say something, no sound coming out of his mouth and Sasuke felt his heart clenching again, making him feel like throwing up. He had been right, Naruto was here with him, but then again, he wasn't...

Slowly the ghost shook his head again, his transparent fingers pressing against Sasuke's cheek. The raven couldn't feel them, but just seeing them there was enough to comfort him. Naruto's eyes were sad, almost as if he had been crying, but there was a gentle smile on the ghost's lips when he finally leaned forward, pointing at his lips to make sure Sasuke was watching. Slowly he mouthed the words he had not been able to say earlier, still moving closer to the raven.

"I'll be watching you." With that, Naruto's ghost pressed its lips on Sasuke's cheek, a sudden yet faint feeling of cold brushing against the pale skin. The lips moved onto the raven's, and without thinking Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to grab Naruto's hair to force him to stay where he was, to pull the man closer. His hands met nothing, finally wrapping around his own body, trying to hug himself while imagining that the arms belonged to Naruto. He could still feel the blue eyes watching him, but when he peeled of the lids from the black eyes, the room was empty.

Yet behind the shaking man there was another figure of a human. A young man with pale blond hair and sorrowful blue eyes that were watching the raven. A ghostly hand rose to stroke the dark hair gently, the man on the floor not reacting to the touch at all as if he hadn't even felt it. The eerie lips were moving as if the ghost was speaking but no sound was let out for a living man to hear, and when the dark-haired man finally got up from the floor hours later, the ghost followed with silent steps, not leaving even a hint of a shadow on the floor. His hand reached out, to take the other's, but his fingers slid straight through the warm hand and he sighed, bravely trying to smile.

At least he was still here.

**~ E N D ~**

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** So... I'm sorry for the unhappy ending. I hadn't finished the story when I started writing it, I wasn't sure about the end even when I posted chapter 3, so I'm sorry for the unexpected death if it offended someone. Yeah. Also, it was my first time writing smut so sorry if it was a bit... clumsy. So, I hope you enjoyed it anyway, thank you for reading and especially thank you for all the comments! They made me really happy.


End file.
